The Sound Of Silence
by violetstars1039
Summary: Five months have past since the Winchesters took down Manticore. As Ben and Alec settle into a normal life they think their past is behind them. You can never run from your past.
1. Chapter 1

**The Sound of Silence**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~* _

**Chapter One**

**November 1, 2010**

Dean woke up promptly at five a.m. He glanced down at his wife a small grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He shifted ever so slightly so not to wake her. Sometime during the night Lexi had taken up her usually position, which meant she was practically laying on top of him with her face tucked into his neck. Her tendency to use him as furniture used to annoy the hell out of him but now he realizes it's her way of feeling safe and protected. Dean is not about to take that away from her especially if it helps with her nightmares. Dean kisses the top of Lexi's head before untangling himself from her and quietly slipping out of bed.

He gets dressed in the dark, grabs his boots then tip toes out of the bedroom. He goes downstairs and makes himself a cup of coffee before heading outside. Dean goes to check on the animals first then cleans out the stalls. Sam can tease him and call him Farmer John all he wants but it doesn't bother Dean. He actually likes working on the farm. He gets to work with his hands and it keeps them all fed. It's been a year since the Pulse has hit and the country's still in the shitter. Dean knows they're one of the few lucky ones and he's not about to complain about it. They have a decent roof over their heads and a good supply of food. To Dean, that's what really matters.

After he takes care of the animals he goes to the back of the farm where the equipment is kept. He has to repair the header so they can harvest the rest of the grains Gavin had planted. Dean hopes he can figure out how to fix the thing. He's always been able to do repairs on cars and trucks but farm equipment? He's no clue. Around eight o' clock Dean stops working on the header. He's found the problem, now he just has to find where he can buy the part they need. Dean decides it's time to take a break. He can't do anything else with the header until he has the part plus he's starving.

Dean stands in the kitchen archway watching Lexi buzz around the kitchen while getting breakfast ready for their boys. The kitchen is particularly noisy this morning. The twins are arguing over Alec's unhealthy eating habits as Jake loudly tells Lexi what kind of birthday cake he wants this year. She looks over at Jake and smiles saying,"Ok, sweetie. Whatever you want." She then turns back to the stove humming while she finishes preparing breakfast.

Dean can't help but smile at the scene before him. His family's safe, happy and arguing over stupid shit. It's exactly what he's always longed for. On the plus side, he loves to watch Lexi with their kids. But most of all, Dean loves to watch her with Ben and Alec.

The twins have changed so much since they took them in. Sometimes Dean forgets that they aren't normal ten year olds. He guesses that's good considering where Ben and Alec came from but that doesn't matter anymore. They're Winchesters now. His sons and nothing's gonna change that. When they took the boys in about a year ago, they were distant and unsure of how to act. They never had anyone show them any kind of affection. Dean knows it must've felt strange to suddenly have a mother. Especially a mother like Lexi. She was all about kisses and cuddles. Lexi went for the hugs with Ben and Alec right from the beginning. At first, they would stiffen up when she would hug them or ruffle their hair. Now though, they leaned into her touch and welcomed hugs. Dean supposed it might have something to do with the fact that she bakes them cookies and has that motherly warmth thing going on.

Dean knows first hand about that warmth. Lexi was the first person since his mom died that made him feel again. She made him feel alive. He felt loved, worthy. Hell, she's kept him human more so than Sammy ever did. All him and Sam seem to do is snap and snark at each other. Going round in circles keeping secrets and fighting. Sometimes Dean wondered why they even bothered. Sure they were brothers, family but Sam had always wanted out of their family. Not like Dean really blamed him for that. Their family was a freak show. For awhile, Dean thought they were cursed. Now he knows that's bullshit. He's finally happy and all it took was letting Lexi in.

He remembers the first time coming back from a hunt when him and Lexi lived together in that apartment in New Orleans. He had called her when he was two hours away to let her know he was safe and he'd be home soon. He came back from the hunt to find her in their little kitchen with flour on her cheek and hands. Lexi was baking him a pie. They way she smiled at him when he walked in the door, he could never explain to Sammy how that made him feel. Or why he'll always choose the safety of his wife and kids over hunting. Sam doesn't get it because he doesn't have kids. That's what led to this latest fight.

They've been laying low for the past five months since taking down Manticore. Dean wasn't missing hunting at all. He was enjoying spending time with his kids and being somewhat normal. Sam though, was itching to get back in the game. He kept telling Dean he couldn't sit around, that he had to get back out there. So Sam and Jackie started doing some small hunts here and there. But Sam wanted more. He wanted bigger hunts, he wanted his brother out there with him.

At the moment, Dean's content working on the farm with Gavin and helping Lexi with the kids. He'd much rather sit on the floor and watch Stella play with her toys than to go back on the road. This morning makes him want out of the life that much more. Dean finally enters the kitchen and smiles at Lexi as she walks past him to put breakfast on the table. Stella drops her bottle the moment she notices him and screams, 'DADA!' His heart does this little jumpy thing and melts at hearing her say his name for the first time. He scoops her up out of the high chair and into his arms. She smiles and says 'Dada' over and over again. He presses a kiss to her head, the smell of baby shampoo still clinging to her dark hair and Dean knows he's done. He's going to go tell Sam after breakfast that he's out.

Hunters don't have a long shelf life. That never bothered Dean before. He accepted that he'd probably die young and bloody. That was when he didn't have a family of his own, he had nothing but himself and his car. Things were different now. He wanted to be around to see his kids grow up. He wanted to see Ben and Alec shed the horrors of their fucked up childhood and live normal happy lives. He wants the same for Jake and Stella. He wants to be around for when Jake starts dating. Even though he doesn't want to think about it, he wants to be there when Stella goes out on her first date too. Of course, Dean's gonna scare the shit outta the kid and show him his massive gun collection. Dean already knows Stella's gonna be the one to give him hell. She already looks just like Lexi except for her eyes, she has his gold flecked green eyes.

"Did you hear her, Lex?" Dean asks his face all lit up while he sits at the table with Stella still in his arms, "She said Dada."

"Yes I heard her."

"Her first word." He states smiling proudly. "I won."

"That's only cuz you spoil her." Lexi teases.

"I'm allowed to spoil her. She's my little princess."

Lexi walked over to where Dean was sitting and places a cup of black coffee in front of him before smirking, "I'm going to remind you you said that when Stella's sixteen and driving you crazy."

"Don't jinx me Lex."

"I'm not jinxing you. It's the natural order. I was a daddy's girl too and then I turned sixteen. I met this hot older guy. Leather jacket, bad ass muscle car and we got in that car and..."

"Lexi!" Dean growled giving her his, 'Shut it.' look.

Alec looked between his parents his curiosity peaked. "What did you do Mom?"

Lexi shrugged smiling around the rim of her mug. "Oh, we got married."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~* _

**November 1, 2010**

After breakfast, all three boys asked to go outside to play. Alec in particular was vibrating with pent up energy. All he could think about was getting outside and climbing the tallest tree he can find on the farm. Before Dean or Lexi could answer them though, Alec was standing at the back door putting on his jacket. Lexi shook her head but gave the boys the go ahead figuring they weren't going to have too many more nice days once winter came. Jake walked to where Dean was sitting at the kitchen table handing his father his jacket while staring up at him with big green eyes. "Daddy you help me?"

"Sure buddy." Dean leaned down ruffling Jake's hair. "Let me put your sister in her high chair first."

After Dean helped Jake into his jacket and reminded his boys not to wander too far away from the house, he grabbed the remaining dirty breakfast dishes off the kitchen table. He placed them on the counter next to Lexi then grabbed a kitchen towel to start drying the clean dishes.

"What are you doing?" She inquired

"Helping you clean up. What's it look like?"

She smiled up at him barely containing her laughter, "Well, look at you Dean Winchester all domesticated."

He chuckled bumping his hip against hers. "I ain't domesticated. I just let you think you won."

"Yeah, okay Dean. You keep telling yourself that."

Dean puts the towel down and watches their boys playing what appears to be tag. So much has changed in the past year and just not for them. The whole country was turned upside by The Pulse. The divide between the haves and the have nots has increased dramatically. Not having much doesn't even register with Dean. He's used to it. They have what they need to survive. Thanks to John Winchester being an obsessed bastard him and Sam are more equipped to handle the shit storm they're in now. Sure, it's not supernatural but their father taught them the art of survival. Right now, that means laying low and living on this farm. They have a roof over their heads and plenty of food, that's more than most people these days.

Dean lays his hand over Lexi's and squeezes. She smiles up at him his hand warm and rough against hers and he squeezes again. "Lex, you feel like going into town with me today? I gotta go hunt down a part for the header."

"Can't today. The Clark's are coming by so I can check their son's wound."

"Are they paying you?"

"Dean..."

"What? You're a doctor, a rare commodity now a days. People should be paying you. I don't want people taking advantage of you."

"No one's taking advantage of me." She sighed before glancing at Dean, "I'm not going to turn a sick child away just because their parents can't pay me. Anyways, why don't you ask Sam to go into town with you?"

"Lex..."

"Go ask him." She commanded while nudging his ribs, "You two need to kiss and make up. You're both driving me and Jackie crazy."

Dean grumbled but made his way out of the kitchen anyway. He dragged his feet while he made the short walk to the cottage that Sam and Jackie shared. He knocked on the door then shoved his hands in his pockets as he waited for someone to come to the door. Truth be told, Dean really wasn't in the mood to share and care with his younger brother. All he really wanted to do was go into town, get the part and some lunch. He knew it wouldn't be that simple with Sam coming along.

"Hey, Dean."

"Hey, Sammy." Dean looked down scratching the back of his neck before clearing his throat, "Listen um I gotta go into town to find a part. You wanna go?"

"Yeah, I need to get a few things..."

They were both quiet during the ride into town. The only sounds in the Impala was AC/DC blasting through the speakers and the rattle of decades old legos when Dean turned the heat on. Things didn't get much better once they got into town. Dean headed to the feed and hardware stores alone while Sam went to the pharmacy and the five and dime. It wasn't until they were seated across from each other in the small diner that they began to speak.

"Dean, I'm sorry about what I said the other day..."

Dean glances up from his pie with a raised eyebrow, "Forget about it Sammy."

"Don't you think we should talk about this?"

"Not really, no."

"But Dean..."

"I said I don't want to talk about it." Dean insisted. He glares at Sam and goes back to his pie. He knew this was going to happen. His brother always wants to pick a part every thing that comes out of his mouth. Why couldn't Sam just accept things at face value? Dean never minced his words and Sam should know that by now. He can tell his younger brother is about to blow. Sam narrows his eyes, his jaw clenching. A few seconds later Sam snaps, "NO, you don't get to do that! You owe me an explanation! We're supposed to be in this together! Wait, don't tell me, you knocked Lexi up again, didn't you? That's why you don't wanna hunt."

Dean narrows his eyes at Sam and growls, "NO! Lexi's not knocked up."

"Then this has to be about Manticore. Dean, it's been almost six months of radio silence."

"You're not gonna shut up about this are you?"

Sam crosses his arms in front of his chest. His face is set and determined to get answers out of his older brother, "Nope."

"Fine. It's not just about Manitcore, ok? I've got kids now and I don't wanna be like Dad. I don't wanna be dragging 'em from motel to motel like he did to us. If I'm gonna hunt I'm doing it around here. You and Jackie can go on the road if you want but I'm staying close to home."

"Ok. If that's what you want to do, I can live with that."

"Does that mean we're done? Can I eat my pie in peace now?"

"Yeah, Dean, we're done. Jerk."

"Bitch."

**November 2, 2010**

Dean gets up early to pack his duffel for his first hunt in almost six months. He tries to be quiet so he doesn't wake Lexi and Stella but Lexi wakes up anyway. She turns on the lamp and sits up rubbing her eyes. "Do you need help packing?"

"Nah. I'm good. Didn't mean to wake you."

"It's ok, Dean." She grins before getting out of bed. "I got that super mom hearing now."

Dean smiles then pulls Lexi into a hug placing a kiss to the top of her head. "This shouldn't take long. We should be gone two or three days at most."

"Ok. You and Sam be careful."

"It's just a salt and burn, Lex."

"Well, lately, things are never that easy for us."

"Don't worry baby. Me and Sam got this."

Sam was right the case was a salt and burn but it wasn't as easy as either one expected. It wasn't one vengeful spirit but two. It turned out to be two brothers that were murdered by their father. To complicate matters even more both brothers were cremated which led Sam and Dean on a scavenger hunt for the objects they were tied to.

By the third day Dean was getting anxious. The job shoulder been wrapped up by now. He had two days to get home in time for Jake's birthday and they still hadn't come up with a way to gank the ghosts. Sam kept telling him to relax, that they would find something. Just hearing Sam tell him to relax put Dean on edge. Him and Sam had a great track record. They always managed to find a way to get the job done. Dean knew Sam was right but the only thing he could think about was how he was going to disappoint Jake the way his dad always disappointed him on his birthday.

"Sammy, we gotta figure something out. I gotta be there for Jake's birthday cuz I ain't gonna be like Dad. I ain't gonna do to my son what dad did to us."

"You won't Dean because you're a better man than Dad."

"Sammy..."

"You are. I'll find something and we'll be on the road tomorrow morning day after tomorrow at the latest."

**November 6, 2010**

Dean's first hunt back has turned into a disaster. The job's finished, the ghosts are gone but Dean's definitely seen better days. Sam can't help but worry. His older brother is all banged up and he's pretty sure Dean has a concussion. Dean leans his head against the passenger window and closes his eyes despite Sam telling him not to go to sleep. They only have an hour drive back to the farm but Sam figures he can make it there in forty minutes.

As soon as Sam parks the car, he opens the Impala's passenger door and reaches to help Dean out. Dean bats Sam's hands away grumbling that he's not an invalid. He winces then glares at Sam as he gets out.

"Really, Dean? C'mon man let me help you, you're hurt."

"You sound like my wife, ya know that? This is nothing. I'm ok."

They attempt to sneak into the house but Lexi heard the roar of the Impala's engine and is already in the front hall. Her gaze immediately falls on her husband to make sure he's alright. Lexi's green eyes widen as she takes in the cuts and bruises on his face. "Oh my God Dean..."

"I'm fine, Lex."

"Sam, take him up to our room and I'll put the boys to bed. I don't want Jake to see him like this. He's gonna wanna know why his daddy's beat to hell."

Lexi comes in the bedroom a few minutes later with an ice pack and hands it to Dean. She starts checking him over for injuries then starts gingerly cleaning the cuts on his face. Dean pulls her hand away from his face and says, "Stop, Lex. I'm fine I don't need to be patched up."

"But Dean you..."

Dean kisses her softly pulling her down on to the bed with him. "I don't need a doctor. I need my wife."

"I can't help it, I'm both..."

Dean silences whatever else she's going to say by brushing his lips tenderly against Lexi's. He loves how familiar the taste of her lips are; cherry flavored mixed with the mint of her tooth paste. He nips at her full bottom lip before she opens her mouth for him. He slips his tongue inside tasting her slowly as he coaxes her onto her back. Dean curls his tongue around hers fighting for control of the kiss. She gives up control easily letting Dean set the pace. Lexi's hands slide up under Dean's t-shirt, her fingers move slowly over his ribs.

"Lex," Dean whispers, "are you checking for broken ribs?"

"No."

The lie rolls smoothly off her tongue but Dean doesn't buy it. He laughs and lifts her tank top over her head. He slides his hands down her chest, his palms rubbing slow circles over her nipples through her sheer bra. Dean unhooks the front clasp, pushes the filmy material out of the way as he leans forward to flick his tongue over each nipple. Lexi's breath is coming in short gasps now. Dean slides his tongue over her right nipple while rolling and pinching her left nipple between his fingers causing Lexi to whimper his name. Dean smirks against her overheated skin and takes the nipple into his mouth. His teeth skimming across the stiff bud before sucking and swirling his tongue. She arches her back to give him better access while she makes those breathy noises he loves so much. "Dean..."

Everything after that was a blur. What seemed like mere seconds later they're both naked and Dean's sitting up pulling Lexi onto his lap. He runs his hands over her body, the whole time he's admiring her with this cute little smirk on his face. Dean leans forward sucking and biting her neck before catching her lips in another kiss. Lexi slides her fingers up the back of Dean's neck tugging at his short hair as she bites down on his bottom lip. Dean hisses, fists his hands in her hair and presses his forehead to hers, "Fuck Lex, watch the lip, you little minx."

"Oh shit. I didn't mean...I'm sorry."

"I'll live but you can make it up to me." Dean says with a smug grin.

Lexi drapes her arms around his neck and tilts her head as she studies him. "Really? Exactly how am I going to make it up to you?"

He wiggles his eyebrows at her, his hands moving to cup and grope her ass, "We're gonna fuck in my favorite position."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"Hmm mmm."

Lexi kisses him slowly, her tongue exploring every inch of his mouth before she pulls away. "Ok. I guess I can do that."

"Shh. You talk too much, Lex." Dean grips Lexi's hips lifting her off his lap and then guides her slowly down onto his cock. She gasps wrapping her legs around his waist and digs her nails into his back as he fills her up. "You okay, baby girl?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

Dean leaves a hand on each hip letting her set the pace while he helps guide her. Her movements are unhurried, slow. "Oh fuck. That's it Lex, ride me just like that." Dean grunts while pulling her down on to him. She smirks then catches his lips in another kiss. Dean breaks the kiss burying his face against her chest as she rakes her nails down his back. Dean moans and gasps against her chest, his breath hitching with every thrust. Lexi throws her head back and arches her back, the sounds she's pulling out of him make her ride him that much harder.

Dean can tell she's close. He feels her legs start to tremble. He digs his fingers into her hips and thrusts up into her. Lexi bites down on her bottom lip, her hips loosing rhythm as her orgasm slams into her. "Fuck. Dean! OH GOD!"

Dean guides her down to the mattress, hooks her legs over his shoulders and continues thrusting into her. He clutches her hips pushing harder and faster, the way he likes it, to chase after his own orgasm. Dean closes his eyes biting down on his bottom lip and groans, "Damn, Lex. You feel so fucking good..."

It didn't take much longer before his own orgasm hits him. He collapses against Lexi not being able to remember the last time he came this hard. He rests his head on her chest listening to the pounding of her heart as they both tried to catch their breath. Once he does, Dean smirks up at Lexi, his eyes gleaming with mischief, "Hey, has anyone ever told you, you got one helluva bedside manner, Doctor Winchester? Cuz I gotta tell ya, I feel awesome now."

Lexi laughs then smacks Dean's shoulder lightly, "Butter me up all you want but I'm still checking you for injuries."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*  
I did not have a beta for this fic. All mistakes are mine. _

The morning of Jake's fourth birthday he woke up bright and early. He tiptoed out of the bedroom he shared with his older brothers and made his way down the hall to his parents' room. He pushed the door open slowly, cringing when the door began to creak. Jake stared up at his parents' bed then crossed the room as quietly as he could. He clamored up onto his father's side of the bed and smiled. His dad was laying on his stomach fast asleep. He made it home for his birthday just like he promised he would. Not being able to contain his excitement, Jake squealed while jumping on his dad's back.

"Ow!" Dean grunted as he twisted around trying to see what kid was jumping on him.

"Daddy get up!" Jake bounced on the bed before he collapsed next to his dad in a fit of giggles.

Dean tried his best to be stern, he really did but the sight of his little boy laughing and smiling like that completely made his resolve crumble. "Why you up so early, buddy?"

"It's my birthday." Jake replied promptly.

"I know. You're a big boy now." Dean smiled as he reached out to ruffle Jake's blonde hair. "Four years old. Maybe this spring we can sign you up to play t-ball."

"What's t-ball?"

"It's baseball for little kids like you. Instead of a pitcher they put the baseball on a t and you hit it off of that."

"Did you play Daddy?"

"Yeah, I did when I was your age. Would you wanna do that?"

Jake beamed and nodded. "Yeah, Daddy. I wanna do that."

"Ok, buddy. I'll talk to your mom about it."

"Can we wake Mommy up now?"

"Nah, Jake. Mommy's tired, let her sleep a little bit more."

"But it's my birthday." Jake pouted giving his dad his best puppy eyes.

Dean groaned and made a mental note to kill Sam for teaching Jake the puppy eyes face before he said to his son, "I know it is but trust me, your mom didn't forget. C'mon how bout you go downstairs with me and help me make breakfast?"

"Ok. Can we make pancakes?"

"Sure can. It's your birthday."

Dean gets out of bed sweeping Jake up in his arms before heading downstairs. Jake bounced in his father's arms not being able to contain his excitement. He talked his father's ear off all the way to the kitchen about what he had done the past few days. Dean couldn't help but smile at his son. He gave Jake a little squeeze then placed him on the kitchen counter. He sat there swinging his legs as he watched his father pull out the ingredients they needed to make his birthday breakfast.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, Jake?"

"How you get all those boo boos on your face?"

Dean turned towards his son with a raised eyebrow, "You mean these bruises? I fell on some ice when I was out with Uncle Sammy. But you don't gotta worry buddy, your mom fixed me right up."

"Yeah?"

"Yup. Hey, Jake, how about we makes these chocolate chip pancakes?"

"YAY!"

Dean ruffled Jake's hair before getting to work on the pancake batter. He listened to his little boy rattle on and on about nothing particular. Dean looked down at Jake a small smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. The boy definitely got the chatter box gene from his mother.

"Daddy, is Pop comin for my birthday?"

"Sorry Jake not this year."

"But why?"

"Cuz Sioux Falls is a long way from here."

As soon as the words were out of his mouth the back door opened and Bobby walked in. Jake's eyes widened and he leaps off the counter launching himself at his adopted grandfather. "POP! DADDY SAID YOU WEREN'T COMING!"

Bobby scooped Jake up in his arms squeezing him tight. "I wanted to surprise you and your Daddy."

"I surprised!" Jake squealed before throwing his arms around Bobby's neck. "I miss you Pop. You should come live here too."

"You want me to live here? Where would I sleep?"

"You can sleep in my room with Ben and Alec."

"That sounds a little crowded, kiddo."

"No. You can fit. When you get here, Pop?"

"Last night after you were asleep. I stayed over at your Uncle Sammy's so I could surprise you."

After breakfast Bobby followed Dean out to the spare barn where the Impala was parked. Dean ran his hand over the hood of the car before he popped it open and began checking the car's fluids. He glanced over at Bobby with a raised eyebrow saying, "Thought you said you weren't coming for Jake's birthday."

"I wasn't then something big came up."

"Big?" Dean repeated as he wiped off the oil dipstick. He replaced it, turned around and leaned against the car. "How big we talking Bobby?"

"End of the world big."

"Seriously? What's it this time?"

"Witches. I know you're trying to get out Dean but I need your help. This thing they're cooking up is called the Grand Rite."

"Grand Rite. Sounds vaguely familiar. What is it exactly?"

"It's death and destruction. Along the lines of a biblical plague."

"Well, that's just great."

Around lunch time Bobby went back to Sam's to do some more research on the Grand Rite. Dean wormed his way out of the research by saying he had to help Lexi get everything ready for Jake's birthday party. That earned him a huff from his younger brother and glare from Bobby. Dean shrugged telling them he'd rather not have to deal with a pissed off wife. Sam still sent death glares his way but Bobby waved him off telling him to go help Lexi. Dean smiled and high tailed it out of there before Bobby had a change of heart.

Dean found Lexi in the kitchen mixing cake batter with Stella on her hip. They both turned their heads his way when he walked deeper into the kitchen. Stella held out her arms towards him as she squirmed in her excitement to see him, "DADA! DADA!"

He took her from Lexi kissing the top of his daughter's head. The smell of her baby shampoo still clinging to her dark hair. "Hey, pumpkin you missed me?"

"So," Lexi says trying to sound casual while she glances up at Dean, "Bobby's found something big."

"Yeah, end of times big."

She stops mixing and turns to fully look at her husband. "When isn't it for us?"

"Touche, Lex."

"I'm gonna assume you're going with him and Sam then."

"Lex, I don't think I should..."

"Dean, we need all hands on deck if it's that huge. I'll stay here with the kids. I'll be fine."

"I'm not leaving you here by yourself with four kids."

"Well, then Jackie can stay behind or my Uncle Gavin. Or you can call Victor to come stay here with me if it makes you feel better."

"Yeah, I guess we can do that." Dean sighed then gestured to the mixing bowl. "You need any help babe?"

"Not with the cake but can you take Stella and put her down for a nap?"

"Sure can."

When Dean came back downstairs from putting Stella down for her afternoon nap he found all three boys sitting around the kitchen table. Alec and Ben each had a beater in their hands dripping chocolate cake batter, while Jake had the spatula and the bowl. All three boys were covered in chocolate making happy noises as they ate the cake batter. Dean couldn't help but smile at his boys. He loved seeing them having fun. Most especially, he loved seeing Ben and Alec happy. Seeing their faces all lit up shows how far the two of them have come in a year and it reinforces that him and Lexi did the right thing taking in the boys.

Hours later, Jake was bursting with excitement the moment they all sat down to dinner. Dean had made baked ziti, which at the moment, was Jake's favorite for dinner. He even helped his dad prepare it. Jake had the very important job of putting the shredded mozzarella in between the layers of pasta and on the very top. The four years old beamed when his father placed it on the table proclaiming very loudly that he had helped make it.

Once dinner was finished Lexi brought Jake's birthday cake out. She placed it in front of him and then carded her fingers through his hair. She joined the others in singing 'Happy Birthday' to Jake before she whispered, "Make a wish baby."

He smiled up at her then blew out the five candles on his chocolate cake. As soon as his mom put his slice of cake and ice cream in front of him Jake dived in enthusiastically. It wasn't every day that they got this level of yummy goodness. All three boys expressed this by making happy noises while they ate causing Sam to huff. Dean glanced over at his brother with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with you Sammy?"

"Nothing. It's just..." Sam huffed again then glared at Dean. "Why do you encourage the three of them to act like you? Their table manners are horrendous."

Dean rolled his eyes trying really hard not to laugh. "They're kids Sammy lighten up."

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't we move on to the presents Dean."

Dean nodded as he got up from the table. Him and Sam disappeared into the living room without Jake noticing since he was too busy trying to dodge Lexi's attempt at cleaning his face. Sam entered the kitchen first carrying three brightly wrapped presents. Lexi nudged Jake as Dean came into the kitchen. Jake gasped, his eyes wide. His father was wheeling in a blue bike with training wheels. "That MINE?"

"Yeah, kiddo. You like it?"

"YES!"

That night getting the boys into bed was more of a challenge than usual. Alec wanted to stay up and play with the remote control car that Jake got from bobby. Ben was busy inspecting the art set from Sam and Jackie while Jake was putting together the hot wheels track he received from his great uncle Gavin. It took over an hour for Lexi to get the three of them into bed. Once she did, Lexi walked into her and Dean's bedroom ready to collapse onto the bed. She was exhausted. She loved that her boys were active and rambunctious. Especially, Ben and Alec. They've come so far in only a year. She finds Dean sitting in the rocking chair with Stella in his arms as gives her bedtime bottle. Lexi sits on their bed smiling sadly.

"What's wrong, babe?" Dean questions.

"Can't believe Jake is four already. He's getting so big, so fast. He's not gonna be my baby for much longer."

"Ah, Lex. He's still a baby. Jake's not even in school yet."

"Next year he will be and then" Lexi snaps her fingers, "he'll be graduating high school like that."

Dean takes the bottle gently away from Stella before getting out of the rocking chair and placing her in the crib. He runs his hand through her hair then places a kiss to her forehead. Dean turns and looks at Lexi saying, "Yeah, that's how it goes but we got plenty of time before they become teenagers and turn on us."

The following morning, Alec lay in bed for hours waiting to hear his father get up. Once he heard the familiar heavy footfalls of his father, Alec crept out of his room and went downstairs. He found his dad sitting at the kitchen table cleaning the guns while the coffee was brewing. Dean looked up when Alec entered the kitchen and smiled at him. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey Dad."

Alec took the seat across from him then grabbed a gun and started cleaning it. Dean watched him with concern for a few seconds before he put his own gun down. "Alec, something bothering you?"

Alec looked up meeting his father's eyes. He shifted in his seat, the weight of his dad's gaze making him nervous. "Yeah, kinda. I overheard you and mom talking last night."

"What did you hear?"

"You're still worried about Manitcore. That's why you haven't been hunting."

"Alec, it's complicated."

"But you said we're safe, that you took them down."

"I know what I said, son. It's...I think it all happened too easy. Ya know what I mean?"

Alec nods. "You think there's still some of 'em out there, don't ya dad?"

"Yeah, I do. When they finally do come after us, we'll be ready for them. I promised you and Ben that nothing bad was gonna happen to you ever again. I'm not gonna break that promise. Nothing bad's gonna happen to you boys."

"I know. How long you gonna be gone?"

"A few days. I need you and Ben to..."

"Watch out for Jake and Stella. Mom too. I know dad. Me and Ben got this."

Dean smiles and nods. "That's my boy."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~* I did not have a beta for this fic. All mistakes are mine. _

Dean hugged his three boys in turn pressing kisses into their blonde hair before whispering to them. To Ben and Alec, he said the same thing, 'Watch out for your little brother and sister.' To Jake he whispered, 'Be good for your mom. I'll be home before ya know it and I'll teach ya how to play t-ball.' He then turned to his girls with a gentle smile. He took Stella from Lexi and held her close to his chest. Dean closed his eyes then kissed the top of her head, the smell of her baby shampoo still clinging to her hair. He didn't want to leave them, especially his little girl. He handed her back to Lexi reluctantly after saying quietly, 'Daddy loves you so much Stella. I'll be back soon. I promise.'

Dean pressed a soft kiss to Lexi's lips then picked up his bag, "I'll see you in a week or so. I'll call you when we get settled."

"Ok, Dean be careful."

Dean looked at her with a small smirk on his face before leaning in to kiss her again. "I'm always careful baby, you know that." He said with his deep drawl.

Lexi hugged herself as she watched the Impala pull away until it was just a black dot in the distance. She had this knot in her stomach that was telling her something bad was about to happen. When she told Dean this morning she had a bad feeling about this hunt he brushed it off. He said it was just her worrying since it had been a while since they've faced something this big. She had agreed with him at the time but now she isn't so sure.

It's like she has a pit in the bottom of her stomach made of lead. It's just sitting there making her stomach turn and tighten. Lexi takes a deep breath trying to shake the feeling off but it's still there. She tells herself she's being silly, it's not like she had a vision or anything. She's probably anxious because it's been quiet some time since they were involved in a case this big. Yeah, that's all it is. Dean will be fine, he always finds away. There's nothing to be worried about.

Ben watched his Mom from the doorway as Dad and Uncle Sammy left for the hunt. He knew his Dad wanted him and Alec to keep an eye on their younger siblings but it was more than making sure they were safe. It was also about keeping morale up. And he was going to do just that.

"Hey, Mom?"

Lexi turned to see Ben standing in the doorway with his eyebrow cocked. The look of concern on his face reminded her so much of Dean it was eerie. But of course, he looked just like Dean he was his clone after all. She gave him a small smile as she answered him. "Yeah Benny?"

"Can we make cookies? I think we have everything we need if we can spare the ingredients. And I thought it would make Jake forget dad left."

"Sure, sweetie we can make cookies. What kind do you wanna make?"

Ben smiled up at her, his whole face lighting up. "Sugar cookies and then we can decorate them."

"Okay, I'll be inside in a minute."

With his mission accomplished, Ben went back inside the house. Asking his Mom to make cookies with him will serve as a good distraction for Jake. There was no way his little brother was going to give up Mom's sugar cookies.

Alec shut off the television and joined Ben by the window. He nudged his brother to get his attention then whispered, "I'm going to go keep watch. Take this." Ben looked down at the walkie talkie in his hand and nodded. "Keep Mom busy, okay?"

"Already got that covered, Alec."

"Knew you had it in you big brother." Alec stated with a smack to Ben's shoulder and a smirk.

After only forty five minutes on the road Dean started to get antsy. He wanted out of the car and he wanted out now. Dean flexed his hands on the steering wheel trying to clear his mind. He had this feeling deep in his bones that this hunt was going to go badly. Maybe it was because the case involved witches or maybe it was because he was still worried about Manticore. Whatever it was, he just knew this was going to go side ways.

Sam looked over at his brother with concern. He could tell by the set of Dean's shoulders that he was worked up about something. Sam also knew that his older brother would not tell him willingly. Sam reached over to turn on the radio saying, "How about some tunes?"

Dean glanced at Sam shrugging. He knew damn well what his brother was doing and it wasn't going to work. "I'm not telling you shit. So stop trying to get me to share and care."

"Dean..."

"Sam..." Dean said mocking Sam's tone.

Sam clenched his jaw before blurting out, "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

"Kettle black man."

"I get it Dean."

"No Sammy you don't."

"Why cuz me and Jackie don't have kids?"

"That's part of it."

"That's bullshit and you know it." Sam snapped.

Dean turned his gaze towards his brother and raised his eyebrows. "Ya know Sammy," he said. "You don't understand cuz you're not responsible for other people's lives like I am. It's my responsibility to keep my wife and kids safe. It's my responsibility to keep you and Jackie safe. So once you take on that burden then you can tell me you understand. Until then I'm the one steering this ship."

Sam huffed before stating harshly, "I'm a grown man, Dean. I don't need you to watch out for me."

"Doesn't matter Sammy. You're my little brother and it's my job to keep you safe."

"Dean, I love you man but you gotta let me grow up. I'm not some little kid anymore. I'm married. It's time that you let me shoulder some of the responsibility."

Dean turned to Sam, his gaze thoughtful before he sighed. "You're right. It's just...I can't help it. I'm always gonna see you as my little brother."

**Salem, Massachusetts**

Once they got into town, they checked into a motel and dropped their bags in the room. After that, it was straight to the hall of records to dig into the town's history. Bobby and Sam had a theory as to why the witches seemed to be gathering in the outskirts of Salem. They figured the Grand Rite had to be done on special ground. Not, holy ground mind you but the opposite. Like where blood was spilled and a lot of it.

Dean wandered over to the other side of the room where there was a large framed map on the wall. He stared at it tilting his head. The map was old. Probably dating back to colonial times. He raised his eyebrows calling out, "Hey, guys, come get a load of this."

"What is it?"

Dean gestured to the wall then turned to look at Bobby and Sam. "Aren't most of the disappearances happening along Forest River?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Look at the map. There was nothing by the river back during the witch trials. It would've been outside of city limits too...just a wooded area, not too many settlers, nice and private."

"That would've been the perfect place for practicing black magic."

Dean looked at Sam his eyebrow raised, "Ya think?"

"Well boys," Bobby stated as he gazed at the map, "I think we found where they'll be performing the ritual."

They went back to the motel, Sam immediately going into research mode while Bobby began calling his contacts. Dean took the time to do some research of his own but it wasn't for the current case. He was looking for anything that might be related to Manticore. He had this feeling that he couldn't shake. It was too easy. They were still out there and he was going to find them. He began by searching through articles about the destruction of the supposed veteran's hospital. After that, he searched for articles that featured strange and unusual feats of strength. He didn't find any of the red flags he was looking for. Dean closed the laptop with a sigh and rubbed his eyes.

"You ok, Dean?" Sam asked from across the room.

"Yeah, I'm just..."

"Still looking for something on Manticore."

"How'd you know?"

"What don't I know about you Dean."

"You checked my search history, didn't you?"

"Yup." Sam scrubbed a hand through his hair before getting up to join his brother at the kitchenette. He stared at Dean with puppy eyes while stating, "You gotta stop man. You need to focus on THIS case and I promise Dean, when we get home I'll help you with Manticore."

"Fine."

**Winchester, CT**

It's been three days since Dad and Uncle Sammy left for Massachusetts. Mom is worried even if she tries to hide it. Aunt Jackie is too but she's better at concealing her emotions than Mom is. Right now, Alec is sitting on a branch letting his legs dangle. He likes it up here in the old oak tree. Not only is it a great vantage point but it's quiet. When he needs to get away from the noise of his family this is where he goes. Dad promised this spring they would build a proper tree house with a rope ladder and Alec can't wait. At the moment though he's taken up this spot to keep watch. He has his walkie talkie on his lap, Ben has the other one just in case. Alec figures if his Dad is convinced that Manticore is still a threat then him and Ben need to be on guard. The boys made sure they were prepared. Ben came up with a contingency plan and Alec knows the location of every weapon and piece of ammo. He's also hidden a few weapons strategically around the house.

While Alec was outside keeping watch, Lexi and Jackie were in the living room going through old lore books they had found in the basement. The two were searching for any mention of a grand rite and hopefully a way to stop it. Jackie tossed one of the books towards Lexi as she reached for another on the pile. "Hey, this one's in Greek. You can read Greek, right?"

"Yeah." Lexi picked the book up and then placed it on to the stack in front of her before smiling.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Jackie questioned her wearily.

"I just got an idea..."

"Oh God, what is it? Let me guess. It's one of your crazy ass plans that make Dean batshit crazy. Am I right?"

"No! It's not crazy at all. Just listen, ok? Witches get their powers from the demon they serve. So what if we can find out what demon these Grand Rite witches are serving and we kill the demon? No demon, no power. No power, no grand rite."

"Yeah but how are we supposed to find out what demon they serve?"

"I think I have a way to do that..."

"Oh of course you do and you think Sam and Dean will be able to find that demon."

"Um, yeah. You wanna know why Jackie? Because everyone underestimates our husbands. Hell, when I was a demon, I didn't underestimate Dean. I knew he wouldn't kill me but I knew he'd find a way to turn me back. And he did. Never underestimate Dean or Sam Winchester. Hell, they should never underestimate me and you either."

"Damn right." Jackie said with a smirk. "After all, we are the only two women to survive being with a Winchester."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

***~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~* I did not have a beta for this fic. All mistakes are mine. **

Dean's whole life changed in a flash of blue light. He was running through the woods giving chase to a witch, next thing he knew his world was upside down. He was closing in on her, hand reaching out to grab the back of her robe and then a bright blue light. He was rendered blind. When he recovered he found himself on the forest floor staring up at his brother's concerned face. Dean watched Sam's lips move but he couldn't hear the words they were forming. He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak. He heard his words in his head, 'Sammy, what did you say?' When Sam didn't respond Dean quickly realized no sound had come from his mouth. That's when the terror set in. He sat up quickly only to have Sam push him back down.

"Whoa, Dean, take it easy. You took a pretty hard fall."

Sam studied his brother's face taking note of his silence and the fear in his eyes. He knew in that instance that something was wrong. "Dean, can you hear me?" Sam questioned his brother as he snapped his fingers to get his attention."C'mon Dean, talk to me."

There was no response. Sam took a deep breath, remembering the flash of light before he found Dean on the ground. His eyes widened, fear and panic setting in. "BOBBY! BOBBY, I NEED SOME HELP!"

"What's going on Sam? Dean ok?"

"No, he's not. I don't think he can hear or speak."

"What?"

"He's not answering me."

"Dean, you ok, boy?" Bobby questioned as he knelt next to him. When he didn't get a response, Bobby glanced up at Sam, his brow creased. "That flash light we saw must've been a spell of some kind."

"You think he was cursed by that witch?"

"That's exactly what I think." Bobby grabbed Dean's hand helping him to his feet. "C'mon Sam, let's get him back to the motel."

"We have to break this spell, Bobby."

"No shit Sherlock. You think I was gonna suggest we leave him like this?"

At the exact same moment Dean was hit with the flash of blue light, Lexi gasped suddenly breaking the silence of the room her and Jackie were in. Jackie peered at her sister in law over the top of her book and did not like what she saw. Lexi's eyes were wide and unfocused which immediately concerned Jackie. "Lexi," she called, "you ok?"

"No." She whispered as she stood up. "Something happened to Dean. I need to call Dean."

Bobby and Sam were getting Dean into the Impala when they heard his phone ringing. They stared at each other and then at Dean before Sam fished the phone out of his brother's pocket. He looked at the screen swallowing hard. "It's Lexi. Do you think she knows what just happened?"

"Good chance, she is psychic."

"She's gonna freak..."

"Course she's gonna freak but that don't mean you dodge her call." Bobby stated with a roll of his eyes.

Sam took a deep breath to steady his voice before he answered. "Hey, Lexi..."

"What happened to Dean?"

"Dean's fine."

"Don't lie to me. I KNOW something happened."

"He's gonna be alright."

"SAM TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO MY HUSBAND."

Sam took a deep breath, counted to ten and said as calmly as he could, "One of the witches got away and then there was this blue light. I think she hexed him."

"Hexed...what kinda hex, Sam?"

"Yeah...he um it doesn't appear that Dean can hear or speak."

There was silence on the other end of the phone as Lexi processed the information. She bit down on her bottom lip in an attempt to keep her emotions in check. Of course, it didn't work. This was Dean they were talking about and someone had hurt him. If she still had her powers they would be picking up pieces of the witch in question for years. Luckily for the witch her powers were bound. Although, that didn't mean she wasn't going to hunt her down and kill her. "I'm on my way. I'm gonna kill this witch myself!"

"LEXI, NO! You stay put. You gotta stay with the kids. Me and Bobby are gonna bring him home and then we're gonna come back here and take care of her."

"Sam..." Lexi hissed, her voice taking on a dangerous tone.

"Lex, you know Dean wouldn't want you coming up here and putting yourself in harms way. Besides, he needs you to help him right now. And you can do that by looking for a way to remove the curse."

Silence again. Sam closed his eyes praying that for once Lexi would be rational when it came to his older brother. History has taught Sam that neither one of them was ever rational when it came to the others well being. He just hoped that by playing the 'kids' card and the 'Dean needs you to take care of him' card would be enough to make her back down and stay put.

"Ok." She sighed, "You're right. I..."

"It's ok Lexi. We're gonna fix this." Sam stated gently before adding, "We'll be back around midnight."

Lexi sat both Ben and Alec down to explain what had happened to Dean. She knelt in front of the boys as she took a deep breath to steady herself. "Something happened to your dad on this hunt. Now, I don't want you boys to worry but you can't tell Jake what I'm about to tell you. He's too little to understand and it'll just scare him. He doesn't know what we do so you have to promise me you won't tell him."

"We won't." they stated simultaneously.

"Ok then. Your dad was cursed by one of the witches they were hunting."

"Is he gonna be ok?" Ben asked with wide eyes.

"Yes as soon as we break the curse but right now your dad can't speak or hear. We're gonna tell Jake he had an accident."

Alec nodded then asked, "How long will it take to fix dad?"

"I dunno sweetie. Hopefully it'll only be a few days."

Alec looked at her, his green eyes wide with fear, "What if it's not?"

"It's just a curse and curses can be removed." She stated firmly but it was more for herself than for her boys. "Me and your Uncle Sammy will find a way, we always do."

"Me and Alec know sign language. We can teach dad." Ben said hopefully.

Lexi smiled and nodded. "I know a few words and the alphabet. I think that would be good if you teach him that. It'll make your dad feel a lot better if he can communicate with us."

Dean walked into the motel room he was sharing with Sam and immediately began throwing his things into his duffel. He didn't have to hear his younger brother to know he had just huffed and was now wearing his infamous bitch face. He could feel it burning holes into his back. He didn't understand what Sammy wanted from him. Obviously he couldn't share and care at the moment since that bitch took his hearing and voice. Dean swore he was gonna rip her throat out the first chance he got.

This was one of the many reasons why he hated witches. They didn't play fair with their spells and hexes. Of course, they were always killing poor innocent animals like rabbits and spewing bodily fluids everywhere. It just wasn't sanitary. At least one good thing came out of this hunt, they did stop the Grand Rite.

Dean zipped up his bag, his eyes sweeping across the room to make sure he got everything. It occurred to him that there could be a hex bag hidden in the room. If they found one all they would have to do is burn it to lift the spell. Dean turned to Sam with raised eyebrows and gestured. Sam tilted his head clearly not understanding what he was trying to tell him. Dean huffed grabbing the note pad and pen on the nightstand. He then wrote the words, 'Hex bag' before showing the pad to his younger brother. Sam nodded then pointed to himself then to the bathroom. Dean nodded his understanding then headed towards the kitchenette to begin his search. They searched the room methodically; emptying every drawer and cabinet, taking apart the two queen beds, only to come up empty handed. Dean turned to Sam, his eyes filled with defeat. He dropped his gaze to the floor not wanting Sam to see how much he wanted a simple solution. Sam clamped his hand on his older brother's shoulder saying, "It's ok, man. We'll find a way to fix this. We always find a way Dean."

Sam wasn't at all surprised by his brother's foul mood on the drive back to Connecticut since they were unable to find a hex bag. Although, Sam was caught off guard when Dean threw the small dry erase board he had picked up in the gas mart at his head. Sam huffed and glared at his brother. He just hoped that Dean would be in a better mood when he got home to Lexi and the kids.

Lexi sent the kids to bed early that night. Jackie sat on the couch with Lexi while they waited for Sam and Dean to return. It felt like time was at a standstill as they waited. The sound of silence ringing through the normally rambunctious house was deafening. The heaviness of it weighing them both down.

Jackie glanced over at Lexi then to the clock on the wall. "Ya know," she said, "we could go in the kitchen and make some food. It'll pass the time and I'm sure the guys will be hungry when they get here."

Lexi stood up nodding. "Yeah, that's better than just sitting here. I got some apples. I'll make a pie...pie always makes Dean feel better."

Lexi was searching through the collection of books on witchcraft that they had found in the basement when Sam and Dean got home. She looked up at the sound of heavy foot falls, knowing full well that they belonged to her husband. He was standing in the archway watching her, his face unreadable. Lexi was across the room in a blink of an eye. She gazed up at him, her hands running over shoulders and down his chest. She tugged on the front of his leather jacket pulling him closer before Dean wrapped his arms around her. He crushed her against his chest, one hand cradling her head the other resting on her lower back. Lexi nuzzled her face against the worn cotton of his t-shirt as she inhaled his scent. The familiar smell of his leather jacket mixed with his aftershave comforted her for a few moments. She was thankful that he was home safe and sound. Though, she knew it wasn't the truth. He may be home but he was still cursed.

Dean suddenly took a step back. He gazed down at her intently, his hands moving up to cup her face. The fear and concern in her eyes making his heart clench. He wished now more than anything he could tell her that he was alright, that everything was going to be ok. Instead, Dean licked his lips slowly before leaning forward to brush his lips against hers, his thumb rubbing slow circles against her cheek. Dean put everything he couldn't say into the kiss; his love, his fear, every emotion that was running through him. He pulled back, eyes closed and rested his forehead against Lexi's. In that moment, he knew somehow everything was going to be ok. Him not being able to hear or speak was only temporary. They were going to find a way to break this curse.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*  
I did not have a beta for this fic. All mistakes are mine. Be warned there is sex in this chapter._

Lexi led Dean into the kitchen having him sit at the table. She poured him a cup of coffee then placed a slice of the apple pie in front of him. He looked down at the pie then back to her with a smile on his face. She was glad to see him smile, the smile that made her fall for him in the first place. It was unguarded, boyish and innocent. It reminded her of how vulnerable Dean really is and how little he needs to be happy. She always admired that for Dean to be happy all he really needs is his family. And his strength she admired that too. He was her rock. Dean was always there to pull her back from the edge, to save her even from herself. When everyone else had given up on her and told him there was no saving her, he didn't believe it. Dean found a way to do it. Now it was her turn. She was going to be his rock, his savior. Come hell or high water, Lexi was going to find a way to break this curse.

Once Jackie was able to tear Sam away from Dean's side the two of them left to go back to their cottage. Lexi took the opportunity to straighten up the kitchen since the kids were all asleep in their beds. Dean sat at the kitchen table watching her clean the dishes. Sitting there, he suddenly realized the magnitude of this curse. He couldn't communicate even the smallest details to his wife, to anyone. He wouldn't hear an enemy approaching or his loved ones calling out for his help. He was a sitting duck. Dean looked over at the dry erase board pulling a face. As much as he despised the thing it was his only means of communication. He grabbed it then scribbled a few lines on it before he headed over to the sink. He placed his hand on Lexi's shoulder to get her attention. She turned to him with a soft smile, "You need something Dean?"

He wished more than anything he could hear her voice as he held up the board for her to read. There were two lines on it simply saying. _'I'm headed to bed. You coming?'_

Lexi nodded her head yes before shutting the water off and drying her hands. She followed Dean upstairs to their bedroom, the silence heavy between them. He dropped his bag at the foot of the bed, kicked off his boots and stripped down to his boxer briefs. Lexi went to her dresser grabbing a tank top out of a drawer then stripped down to her panties. She felt Dean's eyes on her as she pulled the tank top on. She glanced over her shoulder at him, her eyes catching his. He was already in bed, the sheet pulled up to his waist. Dean grinned at her while he gestured for her to come join him. It made her ache for the sound of his voice. Dean wasn't much of a talker but she loved his deep drawl and the sound of his laugh. She tried to return his grin but her smile faltered. She just wanted to hear him say her name or whisper comforting words in her ear. The possibility that she might never hear Dean speak again tied her stomach in knots.

Lexi climbed in next to him, fussed with her pillows and then kissed Dean good night. She lay with her back to him, Dean molded his body around hers, pulling her flush against him as he rested his right hand on her stomach. He pressed a kiss to her neck and then another. She smelled good, like coconut. Even though it had been less than a week since he had left for Salem he missed her. Dean would deny to his last dying breath that he liked to cuddle but he missed this. He missed holding her close while he slept, the feel of her soft body pressed to his. He wished now more than ever that he told her these things but Dean's never been good at talking about his feelings.

His hand slides under her tank top while he places kisses along her neck. He cups her breast in his hand giving it a gentle squeeze before rubbing his thumb in circles over her nipple. Dean is all about teasing touches and dirty talk during sex. He has this thing about marking too. Lexi always says he has an oral fixation which is probably true since he loves leaving her with little love bites. Dirty talk is out for now but that just means Dean's gonna have to be more physical. He's more than ok with that.

Lexi turned her head looking over her shoulder at him. "Dean," she whispered her words dropping off as she remembered he can't hear her. He quirked his eyebrow, his eyes lit up devilishly while he stared at his wife. She placed her hand over his, guiding it down her side then between her legs. He rubbed his palm against her black satin panties before nudging her to lay on her back. Dean rolled on top of her, his eyes roaming up and down her body. Lexi moved forward and slid her hands over his shoulders to his neck. She nipped at his jaw before finally pressing her lips to his. Dean moaned low in his throat, his hands clutching at her hips.

Dean bit down on her bottom lip and tugged on the hem of her tank top. Lexi sat up letting him pull her top over her head. He smirked as he ran his hands up her body, cupping her breasts, fingers teasing her nipples and then moving back to her hips. He toyed with the edge of her panties before slowly sliding them down and off her legs. He sat back on his heels, grabbed her right foot and pressed it to his chest. He then leaned forward placing kisses along the top of her foot. He continued his trail of kisses slowly to her ankle, her calf, her knee until he reached her hip. Dean traces his name that his inked on her hip with the tip of his finger before repeating the movement with his tongue. Lexi shivered from the sensation and sat up reaching for him. He pushed her gently back down on the mattress while shaking his head no.

Dean then settled himself between her thighs only pausing to look up at Lexi and smirk. He leaned forward kissing each thigh before nudging Lexi to spread her legs for him. They fall open easily and he smiles. Dean is going to draw this out as long as he can and enjoy himself.

From the moment she felt the drag of his tongue up her slit, she lost all rational thought. She moaned, feeling hot all over as she clawed at the sheets beneath her. She spreads her legs wider for him and whines even though he can't hear her. All she could think about was getting more contact with his lips and tongue. She really didn't care where his mouth was at this point as long as it was on her.

His lips swept over her skin, teeth grazing her clit causing her to gasp. Dean throws an arm over her thighs to keep her still. He wraps his lips around her clit, sucking hard and swirling his tongue. Lexi's breath hitches, her head swimming. The feel of his tongue and lips on her is so incredible and intense. Right when she thinks she can't handle anything more, he works his index and middle fingers inside her. She can already feel her body beginning to tingle as he curls and pumps his fingers in and out of her.

She closes her eyes and curses him under her breath. Dean's building her up, taking her right to the edge and just when she's about to cum, he pulls back. Lexi slides her hand into his short hair and tugs, urging him silently to hurry up but he's enjoying himself way too much. He looks up at her and grins. He's always loved getting Lexi worked up and have her come undone in his hands. He knows she's almost there.

Dean leans down again, twirls his tongue around her clit and presses it flat licking her in time with the thrust of his fingers. He feels the quiver in her thighs and pulls off her. He laps at her slit, running his tongue in broad strokes over her warm folds. Her body is an overwhelming feel of tingles now, leaving her light headed. Dean runs his mouth over her, rubbing his fingers over her clit as he pushes his tongue inside her. She bucks her hips and Dean tightens his grip on her. Lexi's breath is coming in short pants now as she clutches the sheets beneath her. She feels the muscles in her legs tighten while Dean continues to sweep his mouth over her. Her vision blurs and then she breaks out into a light sweat. Everything disappears except for this hot, tingly sensation. She feels like she's being pulled from all sides, melting and exploding at the same time. Lexi screams out Dean's name and a litany of curses. Then she feels him licking her clean as she rides out her orgasm.

Dean makes his way back up her body with open mouth kisses before finally crashing their lips together. He takes his time with the kiss slipping his tongue into her mouth as he rakes his hands up her sides. He pulls away suddenly, stands up and shucks off his boxer briefs. Lexi drinks in the sight of him and licks her bottom lip. Now all she can think about his how she wants to feel him inside her. Dean holds her gaze for a beat with a mischievous smirk on his face, then he's descending on her. He's all lips and teeth, hands gripping her tight.

He flips her onto her stomach then pulls her hips up. She gets onto all fours and Dean immediately places his hand on her back guiding her down onto her forearms. She's about to complain but completely forgets all about it when she feels Dean slowly push one finger inside her. He teases her ghosting his thumb over her clit. She bites down on her bottom lip, pushes her hips back towards him to get more contact. Dean slides his finger in deeper as he brushes his thumb against her clit causing her to moan low in her throat. He adds a second finger and starts pumping his fingers in a slow, steady rhythm. With the pad of his thumb, he rubbed slow circles against her clit, thrusting and curling his index and middle fingers. Lexi pushes back against his fingers in an attempt to get the friction she needs but Dean continues to take his time. He adds a third finger fucking all three harder into her as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth and closes her eyes. She makes desperate little noises trying not to cry out while he fucks her with his fingers. Lexi wants to feel him inside her, needs to feel him inside of her. She looks over her shoulder at him while grabbing his hand. Dean bats her hand away then curls his fingers and pumps them hard and fast. He rubs the pad of his thumb over her clit causing her to gasp and shudder. She could feel the steady build of her orgasm as Dean picked up the pace. Her breath hitches, her hips loosing rhythm and then his fingers slide away.

Lexi sits up and stares at Dean in disbelief. He grins at her and shakes his head no before pushing her back down onto the mattress. He grabs her arms, places her wrists crossed on her back then lays his hand on her spine letting her know to stay put without needing the words to be spoken. He trails his fingertips up and down her spine then over her hip leaving his hand there. He tilts her hips higher then runs his hands over her ass. Lexi squirms slightly as she wonders what he's going to do. She gets an answer quickly as Dean's hand comes down on her ass cheek hard and fast. She yelped in shock moving her hands off her back to the mattress. Dean grabbed her arms pining them behind her back with one hand while his free hand smacked her again a little harder. Two more hard smacks to her ass and she got the message, '_Don't move'_.

He released her wrists and Lexi left them crossed low on her back. Dean leaned over to his bedside table and grabbed something out of the drawer. She couldn't see what he had taken from it, although she had a good idea what it could be. He took hold of her wrists crossing them left over right and then she felt the familiar weight of leather cuffs. She felt them tighten as he clicked them into place. Dean wanted to play. That was fine with her, they hadn't played the dom/sub game in a while. Although, she had to admit, having Dean be dominating and silent was even more of a turn for her than how they usually played this game. Dean's hand came down on her ass hard and swift rocking Lexi forward. "Oh God..." she moaned while closing her eyes. She breathed in and out slowly in an attempt to catch her breath. That last hit ignited the fire in her belly, the throbbing between her legs growing steadily. He was hitting all her kinks and he knew it.

Dean gently rubbed her red skin before leaning forward to blow on it. He ran his fingertips over her ass and hips caressing her flesh. The moment he felt Lexi relax, he smacked her again. This time she lifted her hips chasing after his hand. Dean smirked, well if she wanted to be spanked he was more than happy to oblige. His hand coming down on her delivering several more blows until he could see the light sheen of sweat that had broken out on her back. He sat back on his heels running his hands over her reddened skin in soothing circles until her breathing was back to normal.

He clutched her hips in a bruising grip, the blunt head of his dick nudging her entrance. He closed his eyes and bit down on his bottom lip as he sank into her slowly. He moaned low in his throat when he filled her to the hilt. His thighs were pressed against hers, balls against her ass and all he wanted to do was go hard and fast. She was so tight and slick he knew he wouldn't last very long if he did. He takes a deep breath, slides all the way out and slowly slides back in. He does this a few times causing Lexi to moan and push her hips back towards him. Every shallow thrust drove her crazy, it was making her impatient. She wanted him to fuck her like he MEANT it, not this teasing in and out he was doing. Lexi groaned shifting again to get him to go faster it did nothing to speed him up. It only earned her another hard slap. She bite down on her lip to stifle her cries as he slapped her ass cheeks three more times. One on each cheek and then right in the center. Lexi cursed him under her breath but she couldn't deny how wet she was from being spanked. She was so turned on and strung out she'd do anything to cum but Dean was obviously having too much fun teasing her.

Dean lifted her hips changing the angle slightly and thrust into her once more. Lexi yelped in surprise as he leaned in mouthing at her shoulder. He built up a hard, steady rhythm, every thrust hitting her g spot. "Oh God! Fuck Dean!"

He slowed slightly wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her up into his lap. He cupped her face with his free hand turning it towards him. She looked at him, her arms still cuffed behind her back and panted before he pressed his lips against hers. His tongue moved deftly around hers exploring every inch of her mouth. Dean broke the kiss suddenly biting down on her bottom lip and gripped her hips once more. He lifted her off his lap and then guided her slowly down onto his cock. He bites along the length of her neck, his hands sliding up to cup her breasts. He pinches Lexi's nipples at the same time that he sinks his teeth into her neck causing her to make that desperate little moan he loves so much.

It's maddening to her that she can't touch him as Dean runs his hands slowly over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs then back up to her hips, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. He fucks into her nice and slow while she rocks her hips back against his. Lexi leans back against his chest arching her back as she rides him. He tightens his grip on her hips and thrusts up into her as if it has been years since he's last seen her instead of only a week. She cries out on every push in, his breath hot on her neck.

The only sound in the room is their heavy breathing and the slap of skin on skin. Dean takes full advantage of the fact that she can't touch him. He bites down on her shoulder, thrusting roughly into her while he slides his left hand down to rock against her clit. Lexi closes her eyes and whimpers while trying not to loose her rhythm . Dean knows she's close. He can always tell by the way her muscles tense. He wants to feel her come, needs to. She's so close. Lexi can feel the tension building and building. Dean picks up the pace,slaps her ass with his right hand, while the other rubs fast circles against her clit. "Dean. Oh my God, Dean…Fuck!"

Dean rolls his hips faster, his breath coming in short pants. A few seconds later she's screaming his name, her muscles clenching tight all around his dick. His hips begin to loose rhythm, his body jerking. He can't take the feeling of her muscles contracting all around him. Dean comes hard and slams into her one last time before moaning low in his throat. Lexi leans back into his chest boneless and closes her eyes. She hears Dean undo the cuffs, the weight of the leather sliding away and then he brings each wrist up to his lips placing feather light kisses to them.

Lexi rolled onto her back and gazed at the ceiling trying to catch her breath. She felt the mattress dip with Dean's weight as he joined her on the bed. He kissed the side of her head pulling the sheet over them before rolling onto his side. He stared at her with such a gentleness in his eyes that it made her heart clench. She reached up laying her hand on his cheek. He leaned into her touch and after a beat places a kiss to the palm of her hand. Dean buried his face in the crook of her neck breathing in her scent. He wished he could tell her how much she meant to him, how he would completely fall apart if anything ever happened to her. He leaned on his elbow hovering over her then brushed his lips to hers. He pulled back resting his forehead against hers. He watched her lips move not able to hear the words but he knew that they were 'I love you.' Dean kissed her forehead then settled back down with his head on her chest. He closed his eyes as Lexi carded her fingers through his hair. The sensation of her fingers in his hair and the steady rhythm of her heart lulled him to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*  
I did not have a beta for this fic. All mistakes are mine. _

Lexi woke to the feel of Dean's lips moving along her shoulder. She opened her eyes to find Dean on his side facing her. Her eyes darted to the alarm clock then back to her husband. It was a little after five in the morning, she slid her hand down her face and groaned. Not one to be dissuaded easily, Dean grinned. He kissed her softly sucking her bottom lip into his mouth before he pulled away. He stared at her for a beat, his eyes locking onto hers while his fingers brushed her hair off her cheek tenderly. Dean felt the weight of her gaze causing him to suddenly feel vulnerable. He couldn't have that, not now. He wasn't ready to let his wife see how afraid he really was.

Dean wiggled his eyebrows causing her to laugh before he rolled on top of her. He pulled her legs up against his sides and pressed her down into the mattress, his weight pinning her underneath him. Dean's tongue danced lightly across her bottom lip as he leaned down on his forearms. His green eyes locked on to hers again then he pushed slowly into Lexi. She bit down on her bottom lip, nails digging into the soft skin of his biceps waiting for him to move. He dipped his head down, his mouth and tongue gliding over the top of her breasts, his three day scruff leaving bright red marks across her pale skin.

He brushed his lips against hers once more before he started moving slow and deep. Dean set up a deliciously slow rhythm that had her arching her back and pressing her hips against his wanting him to go harder and faster. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pressing her heels into his ass to pull him in deeper. He sped up, eyes closed as he bit down on his bottom lip.

Lexi's eyes flutter shut while she concentrated on the sensations rolling over her. She didn't want to think about the silence that now lay between them. Or that the only sounds in the room was their heavy breathing and the slap of skin on skin. Lexi let herself get lost in the feel of Dean inside of her and the gentle movements of his hands over her body. She opened her eyes and watched Dean's face contort in pleasure. She shifted under him and ran her hand up the back of his neck. She pulled him closer then caught his lips for another kiss.

Dean pulled away letting his tongue trail over her bottom lip. He brushed his lips gently against hers then moved to her jaw. He kissed along her jawline slowly whole he made his way up to her ear. He lingered around her ear, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine. She felt her body tighten and tingle, her vision blurring as Dean continued to thrust into her. She clutched at the sheet beneath her screaming out his name and a litany of curses. He hooked her right leg over his shoulder and continued thrusting setting up a harsh pace to chase after his own orgasm. Dean closed his eyes biting down on his bottom lip and groaned. It didn't take much longer for his own orgasm to slam into him. He shut his eyes, hips bucking, his whole body shaking before collapsing on top of her.

Dean rolled off Lexi then wrapped his arms around her pulling her against his chest. Lexi closed her eyes and buried her face into the crook of his neck. She relaxed in his arms, his warmth engulfing her. This is the side of Dean she loves the most, the one that she only gets to see; a gentle, caring and loving man. She's always thought that this side of him is a glimpse of the man Dean would've been if tragedy hadn't struck him at such a young age. This side of him that he guards heavily is one of the reasons why she fell in love with him in the first place. She nuzzled her face deeper into his neck inhaling his scent as she drifted back to sleep.

A few hours later, Lexi opened her eyes to find herself alone in bed. Panic immediately set in. She got out of bed, checked their bathroom, the bathroom in the hall and then the boys' room. The whole time all should could think about was how vulnerable Dean was at the moment. She took a deep breath in an attempt to keep her panic at bay. She had one more room to check, Stella's room. Lexi half expected to find Dean sitting in the rocking chair with their daughter in his arms. The room was empty as was Stella's crib which meant Dean must've taken her downstairs to feed her breakfast. She took another deep breath in relief and headed downstairs.

Lexi found them just as she thought she would. Stella was in her father's lap while he gave her a bottle. She stood off to the side out of Dean's line of sight so she could watch them. Stella was staring up at her father, her tiny hand gripping his fingers while he smiled down at her. Dean appeared to be so happy and relaxed that Lexi felt a tad bit guilty for watching the two of them. She walked into his line of sight heading right for him. She ran her fingers through his hair causing Dean to glance up at her. Lexi grinned then leaned down to press a quick kiss to his lips. Normally, she would ask him what his plans were for the day and if he wanted to breakfast. She grabbed the dry erase board from the table writing quickly, _'Do you want breakfast?'_

Dean read the board, shook his head no and then gestured to his cup of coffee. Lexi nodded in response before heading over to the refrigerator. She pulled out some milk and eggs to start breakfast for the rest of their brood. The boys would be up any minute now with choruses of 'I'm hungry.' filling the kitchen.

Dean got up placing Stella in her pack and play before grabbing the dry erase board. He hated the thing, he really did but Sam was right. It was the only way for him to communicate at the moment. He jotted down a few words then made his way to Lexi. He placed his hand on her shoulder as he turned the board around. _'Going to take care of the animals. Be back by lunch.'_

She nodded and smiled at him but not before Dean noticed the flicker of emotions that ran across her face. Worry, fear, love, he saw all of this in a matter of seconds. He could always read Lexi so well. She could never keep the facade intact when it came to him. In all honesty that's why he needs to get out of the house. He needs to clear his head so that he can think of a way to reverse this spell. Dean knows he can't do that while seeing how shaken Lexi is by this. He can see it in her eyes even though she's smiling at him. He gets it, he does. He knows what it's like to want to save a loved one from the supernatural. He went through it with both Sam and Lexi. Dean finally found a way to save them and he knew they would find a way to save him. They'll find a way, it's what they do. He returns her smile while leaning down to press a soft kiss to her temple before heading out the back door.

Alec watched Ben as he made his bed. It didn't matter how many times Alec told his twin that it wasn't necessary, every morning he would still find Ben dressed and tucking his sheets in with hospital corners. He really wished he could break his brother out of his Manticore routine. Alec didn't understand why he clung to it so tightly. Alec, for example, never made his bed. He figured what was the point when he was just gonna mess it up again that night. He also didn't get dressed to go down for breakfast either. If Alec had it his way he'd stay in his pajamas until at least noon. His parents though had other ideas about that.

Ben turned towards his twin with a raised eyebrow asking, "Why are you watching me?"

"Why do you still act like we're at Manticore?" Alec retorted from his spot across the room.

"I don't."

"You do."

"ALEC!"

Alec threw up his hands in mock surrender then smirked, "Benny, no one's coming in here for inspection. Remember Mom and Dad wants us to be like ordinary kids. Ordinary kids are messy. Which means WE get to be MESSY."

Ben rolled his eyes at his brother before saying, "Yeah that's why Dad was threatening to throw all your clothes away last week if you didn't pick them up off the floor."

"It was an empty threat." Alec shrugged, "I knew Dad wasn't gonna throw out half my clothes and then have to buy me new ones."

"Maybe you should try to behave for once in your life." Ben snapped.

Alec tilted his head, his green eyes lit up mischievously, "Now what fun would that be?"

Alec was the first one to come down for breakfast. He ran into the kitchen, his eyes sweeping the room for his father. "Where's Dad?" He blurted out.

Lexi turned from the stove to look at Alec before answering him. "He went to take care of the animals."

"Oh, ok. Well, I'm going too."

"No." She stated firmly as she pointed to a seat at the table. "You're going to eat breakfast first. After that you can go help your father."

Alec huffed but took a seat at the table anyway. He knew by the expression on his mother's face that there was no way he could get out of eating breakfast. He discovered rather quickly that underneath his mom's sweet demeanor lived a lioness that would tear you apart. Alec loved that about her and enjoyed watching as she ripped into someone. But he also knew that his mom could not be persuaded once she made up her mind. So, Alec had learned very quickly to pick his battles.

As soon as he was done with breakfast he ran upstairs to his bedroom taking the steps two at a time. He dressed quickly then bolted down the stairs and out to the barn to find his father. Alec found him over by the pens feeding the goats. He immediately joins in throwing the feed onto the ground. Dean looks over at him and hands Alec the bucket of feed with a small grin. Alec tilted his head studying his father. It was strange not hearing him laugh or have him tell his stupid jokes. But, he told himself not to worry. His mom and Uncle Sammy will fix dad up in no time.

Alec spends the rest of the morning with his father following him around the farm and helping him with the daily chores. He understood why his dad liked to do them. They were kinda fun. Except for the chickens. They didn't like Alec all that much. Some pecked and squawked at him, others simply ran away from him. He figured it probably had something to do with his feline DNA. Either way it made his dad smile and ruffle his hair. That was a good thing.

By the third day Dean's had it with the curse and the dry erase board. The board ends up in the trash and Dean resorts to hand signals and rudimentary sign language. He only knows the alphabet and a few other signs which leaves every one involved frustrated. Now he's more determined than ever to lift this curse. He flips through yet another book and finds nothing useful. Dean tosses it onto the pile frustrated. He gets up off the couch and paces around the living room.

Sam lifts his eyes from the book he's reading and eyes his brother. He can tell by the set of his older brother's shoulders that he's about to blow. Being cooped up here isn't helping things either. Sam glances at Lexi nudging her arm to get her attention. "Lex, maybe you and Dean should go into town."

"Why?"

"Look at him." Sam urges, "He's gonna snap. Some time out of the house and food at the diner might cheer him up."

"You're right, Sam." She says softly then turns her attention to Ben. "Ben, go get your brothers and meet me by the Impala."

He nods and runs off to find Alec and Jake, the prospect of going into town making him smile. Lexi stands up, lifts Stella from the floor and makes her way over to Dean. She places her hand on his arm and gestures for him to follow her. Dean raises his eyebrow when she grabs the Impala's keys off the side table. He follows out to the car and to his credit he only pulls a face when Lexi slides behind the wheel.

Dean sits shot gun with Alec between them while the other kids sit in the back seat. He tries to relax and reminds himself that it was him who taught Lexi to drive. Hell, he taught her in the Impala. There was nothing for him to be worried about. Lexi glanced over at him, the corner's of her mouth turned up in a smirk. She put the car in gear and slammed on the gas, tires squealing and kicking up gravel. Dean's hands gripped the dashboard as he glared at her. She caught his eye, threw back her head and laughed. If she messed up his car, he was going to kill her.

As soon as Lexi threw the Impala in park Dean was out of the car to inspect her for damage. If he could speak he would've been whispering apologies as he ran his hands over the car. His poor baby had been abused and for no good reason. Dean always suspected that his wife was jealous of the car and now he had his proof. He stood up and pointed his finger at Lexi while he glared at her. She had the audacity to roll her eyes at him which pissed Dean off even more. All of that was forgotten though the moment she walked over to him. Lexi looked up at him through her lashes, hands slipping under his layers of shirts before she stood on her toes to kiss him. Her kiss was soft and sweet at first as she moved her hands down to his hips. She tugged him against her then bit down on his bottom lip. Right before things got too heated Lexi took a step back breaking their kiss. She bit down on her own bottom lip while smiling up at Dean. He returned her smile all thoughts of possible damage to the Impala forgotten.

First stop was the park. Lexi reminded the twins of the rules: no blurring, no miraculous show of strength. Basically it was just act like an ordinary kid. Alec grumbled which earned him a sharp look from Lexi and a threat to take him back to the car. Alec huffed but Ben dragged him off towards the monkey bars before he said something snarky.

Dean took a seat on the park bench next to Lexi. He let himself relax for the first time in days as he sat there with the weight of his daughter in his arms. There was something soothing about Stella sleeping against his chest, her little face tucked into his neck. He ran his hand down her back and watched his boys on the playground. He leaned back against the park bench throwing an arm around Lexi's shoulders while cradling Stella to his chest with his other arm. This was exactly what Dean needed to get his mind off of his predicament; fresh air and time with his wife and kids. He decided he was just going to enjoy the day and worry about everything else tomorrow.

**Columbia Medical Center**

**New York, New York**

Michael walked over to the bay of pay phones in the psychiatric wing to make his call. Even though most people would say he didn't owe Lexi anything he still needed to warn her. After all, it wasn't entirely her fault that she had left him in the first place. Michael always knew that she still loved Dean and at the time he didn't care. What was didn't matter to Michael as long as he was the what is. That's the way it had been until Lexi turned twenty two. She had started having severe migraines which was chalked up to the stress of Medical School and planning their wedding. But then that FBI Agent came around asking about her ex changing everything. A few days later Lexi took a leave of absence at school, handed him back the engagement ring and left. She told him that she needed time to think but he knew deep down she was going to look for Dean. Micheal was certain she'd be back in a few weeks. But weeks turned into months and then years. She finally did come back almost two years later. Although, she wasn't alone. Lexi was no longer Lexi Brennan. She was now Mrs. Lexi Winchester who had a toddler named Jacob. Michael would be lying if he said that didn't hurt. Seeing her with Dean and their son tore him up. He wanted to hate Dean but when he finally came face to face with the man he didn't. He was a good guy, little rough around the edges but Michael could see how happy he made Lexi. He sighed and dailed her number hoping it was still in service.

Lexi glanced down at her phone when the unknown New York number flashed across the screen. Dean watches as her body language changes in an instant. Her body's like a high tension wire which only leaves him with two conclusions. Either something bad has happened or something's about to go down.

Dean puts the book on the table that he was looking through and gazes at Lexi expectantly when she hangs up. She sits across from him while grabbing the note pad on the table then writes,_ 'Some one named Renfro was asking about me at Columbia.'_

Dean raises his eyebrow and nods. He stands up and makes the 'wrap it up' gesture. Lexi stares up at him shaking her head no. She's not about to pack up and leave just because someone may or may not be Manticore. He doesn't give her chance to protest any further. He snatches the pad from her writing in big block letters, _'We're leaving ASAP.'_

She can tell by the set of his jaw and shoulders that there's no further argument to be made. Dean has made up his mind and that's that. She sighs and throws her hands up in defeat before calling Victor.

"Hey Bonnie, what's Clyde done now?" Victor jokes.

Usually Lexi would laugh at the nicknames Victor affectionately gave to her and Dean but not today. She sighs then asks, "When you looked into Manticore did the name Renfro pop up?"

Victor pauses a beat before saying, "Yeah. It was on the list of board of directors. Lexi are you guys ok?"

"I don't know. Someone with that name was asking questions about me at Columbia Medical. I'm guessing they're gonna come question you next. Dean's having us leave the farm."

"Well, if they come here don't worry. I'm just gonna tell them I interviewed you back in 2006. Lexi what name did they use when they asked about you?"

"They asked for Lexi Brennan-Winchester."

"If they know your maiden name you need to assume that they know you were adopted. Don't go to any of the Connors other safe houses."

"Yeah ok, we won't."

"Do you guys need a place to go?" Victor asked not bothering to hide the concern in his voice.

"Thanks Victor but we got it covered."

"Call me if you need anything."

"I will."

Lexi turns around to find Sam, Jackie and Bobby staring at her. Apparently Dean has given his marching orders. Sam looks at her with his puppy eyes and states, "I'm gonna help Dean load up the weapons. Jackie's gonna get the books and Bobby's gonna call Rufus to see if we can crash at one of his safe houses. You just go get the kids' stuff together and whatever you and Dean need. We'll take care of everything else."

"What about my uncle? We're just gonna leave him here?" She questions with wide eyes.

"That's exactly what you're gonna do." Gavin says as he walks into the room. "Don't worry about me Lexi. I dodged your father and his army of demons for over twenty years. I can take care of myself."

"And if someone from Manticore comes here looking for us, what then?" Lexi stares at him then states, "They're not demons. You can't ward the farm to keep them from getting in."

"I'm aware of what they are. Don't worry about me. I got this covered. I'm gonna tell them I never laid eyes on my little sister's girl. That your mom ran off and none of us ever saw either of you."

"Ok but I still don't like leaving you here..."

Gavin smiled at her, "You're so much like your mother. Always worrying about everyone else when you should be worrying about yourself. I'll be fine. Someone has to stay here and keep things running until you come back."


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_***~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*  
I did not have a beta for this fic. All mistakes are mine. **_

Alec sat between his mother and father in the front seat of the Impala as they left the farm. His mother was behind the wheel, his father staring out the window with a clenched jaw. The tension in the car was thick and Alec could feel it seeping into his bones. He tried to make a joke but one look at his parents and he knew it wouldn't break the mood. Manticore wasn't completely gone. He knew his parents had their suspicions from snippets of overheard conversations but now they had proof of their fears.

Alec crosses his arms over his chest and shivers. He remembers Renfro with her short blonde hair and the sound her heels made on the concrete floors. If truth be told he was honestly more frightened of her than of Lydecker. Lydecker was a solider but Renfro was worse. There was a coldness in her eyes when she looked at you. You knew you were nothing to her but a tool to be used or discarded. If she found him and Ben now, Alec knew without a doubt she wouldn't kill them. No, she would punish them serverely. Most likely have them watch as she killed their adoptive family before torturing him and Ben. Alec closed his eyes offering up a silent prayer to the Blue Lady. He hopes Ben's faith in her isn't misplaced and that she will protect them.

It takes over a day and a half to drive from Winchester, CT to Rufus' cabin in Whitefish, MT. Lexi feels the tension leave her body as the welcome sign for Whitefish comes into view. She relaxes her hands on the steering wheel then lets out a breath she feels like she's been holding since Connecticut. She knows they aren't completely out of harm's way yet. Although, it does make her feel a hell of a lot better having all these miles between Renfro and her family.

Lexi pulls in front of the cabin staring at it for a beat before killing the engine. It was small. She doesn't recall the cabin being this small. She supposed it's because last time they were here, it was just her and Dean. It's going to be a very tight fit this time around with nine people. Dean nudges Lexi's shoulder breaking her out of her thoughts as he gestures for the keys. She hands them over to him happily before getting out of the Impala.

Dean immediately goes around to the back of the car popping the trunk. He figures he'll leave the kids to Lexi and he'll handle their bags. Truth is, she's a much better kid wrangler than he can ever hope to be. Especially now that he can't yell at them. He pulls out their luggage then fills a duffel bag with guns, knives, bullets, salt and holy water. Dean places his hand on the trunk to close it but pauses to look at the cabin. His eyes dart from the cabin to his family and back again realizing they won't be able to stay here for too long. Maybe a half of week, a week at tops.

Jackie scoops Jake up into her arms laughing as she joins Lexi by the car, "Where you think you going little one?"

Jake raises his eyebrow stating seriously, "I help Daddy and Pop."

"No, you're going inside with me and your mom."

"Thanks Jackie." Lexi says while shifting Stella to her other hip before grabbing her diaper bag.

"No problem." Jackie squints up at the cabin shielding her eyes with her free hand. "It's gonna be cramped."

"I know but it's not like we've never had to squeeze into tight quarters before."

"Very true. Do you know how many bed rooms this place has?"

"Like one and a half. There's a loft with a double bed and then a space behind the fireplace that has bunk beds and a camp bed. I figure we can stick the boys in there, you and Sam can have the loft, Bobby the couch and me and Dean on the air mattress."

"You know Sam's gonna have me clean that loft before he'll sleep in it, right?"

"Please Jackie" Lexi laughs, "with his OCD he's gonna make us clean the entire cabin."

Ben grabs his bag from the pile his father has made and sighs. His eyes dart around the wooded property taking in his surroundings. Ben needs to know the lay of the land just in case. He figures it's a long shot for Renfro to find them out here but there is always a chance. He had hoped that they would've been able to stay at the farm permantely. He had liked it there and not just because it was the first real home he's ever had. He liked the animals and the space. It was secluded which meant him and Alec could blur and climb trees without prying eyes to see them. Ben understood his father's reasons for leaving but he hopes they would return soon.

Alec snatches his bag up off the ground breaking Ben's train of thought. He then purposely bumps into Ben's shoulder, his mouth twisted up in a smirk. "Race ya Benny."

Ben just shakes his head as he watches his brother take off. Leave it to Alec to not take this threat seriously. Ben goes over to where his dad and uncle are and grabs a couple more bags to bring inside. Sometimes he wonders how they can be brothers let alone clones.

On the third night Lexi finds Dean sitting alone on the back porch with a bottle of whiskey. By the looks of the bottle he's well on his way to getting trashed. She calls his name out of habit before remembering he can't hear her. She wraps her arms around herself and steps out onto the porch. The cold air hits her bare legs as she walks the short distance to where Dean is sitting. She moves into his line of sight and kneels before gently taking the bottle out of his hand.

Dean gazes down at her his expression lost and sad. The look on his face makes her heart clench. She feels helpless as she kneels on the cold porch floor but then Dean reaches down towards her. He smiles slightly then pulls her on to his lap. He wraps his arms around her and suddenly she's engulfed in his warmth. Lexi nuzzles her face into Dean's neck deeply breathing in his scent. Leather and cigarette smoke lingers on his skin along with the smell of whiskey. It normally wouldn't bother her but tonight it does. She doesn't know what bothers her more. Dean drinking alone, his silence or the fact that when he smiled at her it didn't reach his eyes. Always the care giver, Dean is faking it to make her feel better. She can read him well enough to see that he's worried. Though, now that his mask is fully in place, she knows he won't let it slip again.

Lexi feels him tighten his arms around her, his hands sliding down to her hips to pull her securely to him. Dean lays a hand against her cheek and gently turns her face to make her look at him. She finds herself staring into Dean's gold flecked green eyes. He peers at her intently, his eyes boring into hers. They stare at each other for a beat before Dean cups her face in his hands. Lexi licks her lips slowly, her eyes never leaving his. The air pops and cracks, the electricity between them palpable even without words spoken. Dean can't hold back any longer and draws Lexi's face towards his. His lips crash against hers, his tongue slipping into her mouth. She clutches his shirt returning the kiss firmly because she doesn't want to think anymore. She wants to forget everything and just loose herself in his kiss.

Dean licks into her mouth, tongue curling around Lexi's tight enough for her to taste the whiskey on his breath. Lexi moans into the kiss then snakes her hands under his shirt as she grinds down against his crotch. She sucks his bottom lip into her mouth, her fingers raking down his back. Dean wants more of her, has to have more of her. He slips his hands under her shirt, his hands traveling up slowly to cup her breasts. He rubs his palms in slow circles over her nipples before his calloused hands begin to slowly roam over her bare skin.

Dean pulls back breaking the kiss before he slowly unbuttons the shirt she's wearing. He opens the material and kisses along her collar bone. Dean closes his eyes and makes his way down to the top of her breasts then wraps his lips around a nipple. Lexi moans, bites her bottom lip and arches her back up against his mouth, her fingers clutching his t-shirt. He turns his attention to her other nipple, licking and sucking as he slides his right hand down until he feels lace under his palm. He dips his hand underneath the lace panties she's wearing, moves his hand down along her slit before sliding two fingers into her. She digs her finger nails into his back, hips bucking up against his fingers.

Lexi worries her bottom lip between her teeth trying not to cry out while Dean pumps his fingers inside of her. He slides a third finger into her massaging her clit with his thumb. Lexi's eyes flutter shut, soft moans escaping her lips. Her breath hitches suddenly as Dean pumps his fingers hard and fast.

Dean feels her body start to tense, her hips loosing rhythm as she gets close. He presses the pad of his thumb over her clit causing her to moan and whimper. Lexi throws her head back crying out his name while her walls clench around his fingers. She leans her head against Dean's shoulder closing her eyes while trying to catch her breath. Dean slides his fingers out, sucks them into his mouth and lets out a low, dirty moan. She opens her eyes and blinks then presses a kiss to his lips. She moves her mouth to his jaw placing kisses along his jawline and down his throat. Lexi pulls away then smiles at him, her hand sliding between them to palm him through his jeans.

Before Dean knows what's happening, Lexi pops the button of his jeans and pulls his zipper down. He lifts his hips in an an effort to help her push his pants and boxer briefs down. His dick brushes against her wet heat causing his breath to hitch. Dean worries his bottom lip between his teeth as he sucks in a steadying breath. All he wants now is to feel her slide that wet heat down over his dick.

Lexi wraps her hand around him, her thumb rubbing the head of his cock. Dean digs his fingers into her hips, her delicate fingers moving along his shaft quickly. She leans forward to lick and bite along his neck the whole time pumping his dick with her right hand. Dean closes his eyes, he tries to focus on the tension building inside him. He can't even do that when he feels the drag of her fingers along his balls. He places his hand over hers stilling her movements. They stare at each other for a moment before Lexi stands up and hooks her fingers into her panties. Dean watches the little scrap of lace with wide eyes as it moves down and off Lexi's legs. He licks his lips, hands twitching in anticapation. After what feels like an eternity, she climbs on top of him.

Lexi slowly sinks down on his dick until he's completely buried inside of her. She rests her hands on his shoulders leaning over him, her long brown hair falling against his face. Dean's hands grip her hips, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. He runs is tongue along his bottom lip, tangles one hand in her hair and draws her mouth to his. Dean kisses her slow and deep, her lips soft and sweet. His tongue grazes her bottom lip then slips between her parted lips to slide against her tongue. Lexi moans into his kiss and rolls her hips slightly.

Her movements are slow and deliberate as she begins moving her hips to find a rhythm. She pushes against Dean's chest coaxing him to lean back. He leans back slowly, one hand resting on her thigh, the other clutching her hip. She nips at his jaw and begins sliding up and down his dick. His hands are restless, skimming over her skin to trace her curves as she moves on top of him. A sudden roll of her hips and Dean's biting down on his lip trying to stifle his moan. She smiles at him sliding a hand to the back of his neck, her fingers slipping into his short hair.

Dean finally rests his hands on her hips and thrusts upwards. Lexi gasps and arches her back, her nails biting into his back as Dean picks up the pace. He thrusts up into her on every down stroke causing them both to breathe heavily, his breath hot against her exposed skin. Lexi rolls her hips faster as Dean moves his hand between them to press against her clit. Lexi closes her eyes and whimpers while trying not to loose her rhythm. Dean knows she's close, he can feel a slight tremble in her legs.

Lexi nips at the sensitive spot behind his ear and swivels her hips causing Dean's breath to hitch. He can feel the tension building steadily in his stomach, he's not going to last much longer himself. A few more thrusts and she comes undone. Her orgasm slams right through her causing Lexi to make that high pitched moan that Dean loves so much. Even though he can't hear it he knows exactly what sound she makes. She slumps against him boneless as he chases after his own orgasm. Dean closes his eyes biting down on his bottom lip and groans.

It doesn't take much longer for his own orgasm to slam into him. His hips begin to loose rhythm from the feeling of her walls clenching around him. He bites down on his lip, his body shaking while colors explode behind his eyes. Dean rests his head against her chest trying to catch his breath. He pulls away slightly then lifts Lexi's chin to make her look at him. He wants to say, 'I love you.' but this damn curse has taken that away from him. Dean stares at her with wide green eyes, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. This time the smile reaches his eyes.

The next day, Jackie walks into the kitchen a little bit before lunch, her arms full of grocery bags. She glances over at Lexi who's seated at the table which is covered with books. "Hey, I thought you were going to start lunch."

Lexi looks up from her book and pulls a face as she says, "Oh, yeah. I forgot. I got distracted, I was looking for a reversal spell."

"Ok. Well, I'll start lunch then."

"No, it's fine." Lexi states with a shake of her head, " I was supposed to do it."

"Lexi, it's no big deal. I'll make lunch and you keep looking for a way to break the curse."

"Ok..."

Lexi turns her attention back to her books and continues making notes. She's focused on her research, a little too much for Jackie's liking. Obsession isn't a good thing, especially in this family. Jackie knows first hand about the Winchester's tendency to become obsessed with saving someone they love. It always leads them down a darker path than they intended to go. She's seen it first hand with Dean's deal and Sam and Lexi letting their powers take them over. Not this time though. Jackie's already warned Sam about it and she wasn't about to let her best friend go off the rails either.

Jackie takes the seat across from Lexi and clears her throat, "So where's Dean?"

"Avoiding me." Lexi replies her eyes not leaving her book.

"Lex..." Jackie says with a sigh and a roll of her eyes.

"He's out back with Bobby and the kids."

"How's he doing?"

Lexi closes her book chewing on her bottom lip before glancing at Jackie. "Okay I guess. I can tell he's frustrated and he absolutely HATES that he can't speak."

"It's only temporary. He'll be talking in no time and then you'll be complaining that he's bossing you around."

"From your lips to God's ear." Lexi replies with a small smile that doesn't reach her eyes.

"And what about you? How are you?" Jackie questions her friend not bothering to hide the concern in her voice.

"I'm..." Lexi takes a deep breath as she runs her hands through her hair, "honestly kinda freaking out. I miss his voice, his laugh. I even miss him barking orders. Dean being silent, I dunno. Like last night we had sex and it was good Jackie. I mean like REALLY good but it was weird too, ya know him not speaking. And then this morning I wake up and he's not in bed and I freak out."

"Lexi, it's okay if you're freaking out but this is just temporary. You and Sam are the smartest people I know. If anybody can find a way to reverse this curse it's the two of you."

Later that night when the kids are in bed they continue their research. Dean gets frustrated within the first hour and grabs a bottle of whiskey. He goes out to the back porch letting the door slam behind him. Lexi makes to go after him but Jackie shakes her head no telling Lexi she'll go sit with him instead. Lexi nods and goes back to the book she's been attempting to translate. In all honesty she doesn't know how much more of this she can take. It's been almost two weeks and with every passing day Dean's frustration grows. He's not the only one that's frustrated though. Sam is too but he just hides it better. Lexi takes a deep breath, her hand reaching up to clutch at the protection charm Dean had given her long ago and that's when it hits her. They aren't going to find a way to break this curse themselves. What they needed was a witch to do it. A powerful one at that and Lexi knew exactly where they could find one.

Lexi closes her book and eyes Sam carefully as she states, "I think I know what we need to do to break the curse." That gets Sam's full attention and she continues. "We need a witch to do it. A powerful one."

"Dean is not gonna let that fly Lexi and you know it."

"Just listen to me. We're not witches and we're not dealing with a cursed object we can destroy. What other option do we have? Don't you want to save your brother?"

"Lexi, Dean's my big brother." Sam insisted as he leaned forward, "Of course I want to save him! There's nothing I wouldn't do for him."

She considers what Sam has said while worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Lexi needs him to back her plan because she knows Dean won't. Lexi clutches the charm around her neck studying Sam with wide eyes. "Then you'll go to New Orleans and find the Voodoo Priestess that made this protection charm?"

"Why would I do that?" Sam questions her.

"Sam, think about it. If she can make a protection charm this powerful, she can most likely break Dean's curse."

"Ok, I'll go but I don't know her name or..."

"I do." Lexi says with a smile.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*_

It wasn't easy to convince Dean to go back to New Orleans but somehow Lexi did. She glanced over at him sitting in the passenger seat. He had finally relaxed once they entered New Orleans Parish. Now Dean was staring out the window as they crossed the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain. There was blue sky above them and blue water below them. If she didn't know better it looked like the pulse had never happened.

Lexi took a deep breath and smiled to herself. They were going home after being on the road for over a year. Well, not home exactly. They weren't going back to their apartment on Royal Street but they were going back to the city they loved. She wondered what state they would find the city in and hoped her Grandmother was still in the Garden District.

She took the Canal Street exit, turned onto St. Charles and then another turn onto Prytania Street. She stopped in front of 1415 Prytania Street and felt herself relax. Once she placed the car in park, Lexi looked up at the old yellow double-gallery house and smiled. Her grandmother's house was intact and the lights were on. That was a good sign.

Dean got out of the car first, his eyes sweeping along the deserted street. It was quiet, too quiet for his liking. He hoped Lexi was right about this. Hiding in plain sight from Manticore made sense but it was a risk. Dean turned towards Lexi and gestured for the keys. She tossed them to him then went to the back driver's side door to get Stella out of her car seat.

Dean goes around to the back of the car popping the trunk. Ben and Alec are on his heels and begin helping him pull their bags from the trunk. Dean grabs the weapons duffel, slings it over his shoulder then closes the trunk. His eyes dart to Lexi who has Stella on one hip and Jake on the other as she makes her way to the front door. Dean gestures at the twins to follow their Mom before he leans against the car to wait for Sam and Jackie to arrive.

Lexi puts Jake down on the porch, shifts Stella to her other hip then rings the bell. She holds her breath while waiting for the door to open. She's about to push the bell again when the door opens.

"Lexi?"

"Hi, Granny." She smiles in relief. "Can we come in?"

"Of course. Get in here. Who's the little one?" She asks gesturing to Stella. Her gaze then falls on twins, her eyes widening. "And who are they?"

"This is your Great Granddaughter Stella Elizabeth and I'll explain about the boys when we're inside."

"You named her after me? Well, isn't that sweet."

"Well, you and A Street Car Named Desire. Dean loves that movie."

Once inside her Granny turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "Who are these adorable boys Lexi?"

"They're mine and Dean's twin boys. This is Ben and Alec."

"Lexi, you miscarried in college. There's no way that they're yours."

"Well, that's what we're telling everyone. The truth is they're Dean's clones."

"Excuse me?"

"We're clones. Me and Ben were made in a secret government agency with our Dad's stolen DNA. We can prove it." Alec stated matter of fact.

Lexi's grandmother stared in disbelief as Alec blurred. She shook her head then glanced at Ben and then at Lexi. "What shit did you and your husband step in now?"

"Some deep shit. Oh and Dean can't hear or speak. He was cursed by a witch."

"Just another Tuesday then, uh? Come in the kitchen I'm sure y'all are hungry."

Estelle Devereaux was no stranger to the supernatural. She was born and raised in New Orleans. Her first husband died in the war and that's when strange things began happening around the house. A friend put her in contact with a hunter named Marcel Devereaux who put her first husband's spirit to rest. Not long after that, Marcel became her second husband. He died too young and bloody in her opinion. She knew not many hunters reach the age of forty five like Marcel did but that knowledge never gave her any comfort.

Estelle puts a pot on the stove and begins to gather the ingredients to make jambalaya. She makes a pot every time Dean comes over to eat. It's his favorite dish that she makes besides her pecan pie. She's always had a soft spot in her heart for Dean. He reminds her of Marcel. Sacrificial, fearless and heroic. He's an inherently good man. Her son in law on the other hand, is an ass for dismissing him because Dean's a hunter and because of his and Lexi's age difference. Five years is nothing in the grand scheme of things. Joe Brennan was one to talk being a hunter himself. He's always been a hypocrite. For the life of her, Estelle never did see what her daughter saw in him.

"You need any help, Granny?" Lexi questioned as she entered the kitchen with the kids in tow.

"No, I'm good but why don't you let the boys go play in the yard." Lexi raised her eye brow in doubt. "Lexi, they're boys they need to burn off some energy."

"Ok," Lexi relented, "but you stay in the yard and no blurring Alec."

"Why do you ALWAYS single me out, Mom?" Alec huffed.

"Because you're like your father and you don't listen."

"I'll make sure he doesn't blur Mom." Ben replied.

Alec glared at his twin mocking him. "I'll make sure he doesn't blur Mom. You're such a goody two shoes."

"And you're a brat."

Lexi shook her head as she watched her boys go out the back door. She turned her attention to her grandmother, "Sorry about that. The boys are usually much better behaved than that."

"It's fine Lexi. They've been cooped up in a car for how long? They just need to stretch their legs. So, tell me more about them."

"Long story, short. An old military buddy of Dean's dad stole his DNA and they used it to make those little super soldiers. They were experimenting with gene splicing to make the perfect weapon."

"And of course you and Dean find them."

"Of course."

Their conversation ended abruptly once Dean entered the kitchen with Sam and Jackie. Estelle stopped what she was doing and ushered her grandson in law over to the kitchen table. She smiled at Dean then went to the refrigerator to retrieve a pie. She cut a large slice of apple pie, poured him a cup of coffee then placed the slice of the apple pie in front of him. Dean looked down at the pie then back to her with a boyish grin on his face. She was glad to see him smile despite everything that was going on at the moment.

**The next morning**

Sam huffed as he made his way through Honey Island Swamp. He still couldn't believe he let Lexi talk him into this. Dean is going to kill them dead when he finds out they went to a Voodoo Priestess to break his curse. Sam understands why his brother is going to be pissed about this but he also sees Lexi's side. If this Ms. Thibodeaux could pull it off and actually save his brother it was worth a shot. In Sam's opinion, it was better to have Dean back to normal and pissed off then to have Dean cursed and vulnerable.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*_

_**Honey Island Swamp**_

Lexi shot a quick glance at Sam before entering the house. All of her bravado disappeared now that she was face to face with Ms. Thibodeaux. She took a deep breath reminding herself that they were running out of options. Dean had trusted this woman at one point and that was going to have to be enough. Lexi took a seat across from Ms. Thibodeaux worrying her bottom lip. No matter what she told herself, Lexi couldn't stop the doubts running through her head.

"There's nothing to worry about darlin'." stated with a smile and a small pat to Lexi's knee. "Not all of us that practice are evil."

"I didn't mean…" Lexi stammered.

"I know you didn't. You can trust me Lexi. I made that charm you're wearing and I'll break this curse for you."

Lexi nodded then looked at Sam who was busy taking in his surroundings. She nudged him to get his attention. "Sam maybe you should tell Ms. Thibodeaux what happened that night."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Sam said before launching into the story.

He explained how they were hunting a coven of witches that were attempting to perform the grand rite. Sam went into detail how they had found them in the woods in the middle of the rite. Bobby had destroyed the totem while him and Dean took two of the witches out. The third witch ran into the woods. Dean saw her take off and ran after her without back up. Then him and Bobby saw a flash of blue light and Sam had found Dean on the ground unable to speak or hear.

nodded then got to her feet, "Those damn Celt witches. I'm gonna have to do a blood spell to break their curse."

"Ok. Whatever it takes." Lexi replied her face set and determined.

Sam watched wearily as Ms. Thibodeaux grabbed jars of mugwort, eye of newt, mandrake, sage, angelica, ginger and salt. "May I ask why you're using eye of newt and ginger?" Sam questioned as he leaned forward in his seat. "I know the other herbs are all used for protection but the other two I've never seen added to a reversal spell."

"The answer's simple. They increase strength and speed to any spell they're added to." She then turned to her attention to Lexi saying simply, "I need Dean's blood and yours."

"I have Dean's but why do you need mine?" Lexi questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"The reason for me adding some of your blood is twofold. One, you and Dean are bonded. Two, you are a very powerful being. More powerful than those Celt witches and this counter curse needs some of your power."

Lexi glanced at Sam then back to Ms. Thibodeaux not bothering to hide her confusion. "Wait. Bonded? Like cuz we're married."

"No, child. It's a deeper bond than marriage. You can feel him. You felt that he was in trouble when he was cursed. You can communicate telepathically."

"That hasn't happened since we bound my powers."

"You still can, you just gotta listen." Ms. Thibodeaux said with a smile as she added Dean and Lexi's blood to the counter curse. "You'll always find each other and you'll always protect each other."

Lexi and Sam left Honey Island Swamp an hour after arriving with instructions and a vile of potion in case something went wrong with the counter curse. Ms. Thibodeaux assured them that nothing was amiss but neither one's worries would be put to rest until they saw Dean for themselves. Sam turned the vile over in his hand and took a deep breath. He hoped and prayed that they did the right thing. He knew all too well that the road to hell was paved with good intentions.

When they got back to the house Lexi immediately went into the bedroom her and Dean were sharing. She found him passed out on the bed. Lexi closed her eyes taking a moment to compose herself before rushing to his side. She went into doctor mode and began to take his vitals while Sam and Jackie hovered in the doorway.

"Is he ok Lex?" Sam questioned as he entered in the room.

"His vitals are normal. It's like he's just sleeping." Lexi replied running her hands through her hair.

"Well, she did tell us that this would happen."

"Hmm hmm. Come over here and help me undress him." Lexi said as she moved to the foot of the bed to take off his boots.

"Really, Lex?" Sam questioned his bitch face firmly in place.

"Yes Sam really. I just need you to lift him. I can do the rest."

_**A Few Hours Later**_

Dean groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand. His head was throbbing. Actually, his whole body throbbed. He felt like he had been hit by a Mac truck. Dean blinked his eyes a few times trying to get them to focus on the clock that now read 6:00 pm. The room was dark, the only light coming from the setting sun.

Dean looked down at Lexi in confusion. She was sprawled over him possessively with her face tucked into his neck. Not that Dean was complaining. It wasn't half bad having her pressed against him in this cold room. The thing is, he doesn't even remember coming in here to lay down with her. The last thing he remembers is coming in this room to get a change of clothes for Stella.

Lexi suddenly shifted against him clutching at his t-shirt and mumbled, "Dean."

He stared down at her with wide eyes. He doesn't quite believe that he really heard her but then he hears Stella babbling over the baby monitor. Dean turned towards the monitor, sees it lighting up, hears the cackle of static and then very clearly hears his daughter saying, 'Dada! Dada!'

Dean sat up and focused on the sounds around him. He hears Lexi's steady breathing, Stella's babbling, sounds of people down stairs and the clatter of the street car in the distance. Dean closed his eyes, swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "Lexi?" He whispered, his voice raspy from nonuse.

He looked down at Lexi and shook her gently whispering her name. She groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow in response to his attempt to wake her. "Lex, baby wake up."

"Dean." She mumbled. Lexi sat up suddenly and stared at her husband. "Oh my God. You're back to normal."

"Yeah, it seems so."

Lexi ran her hands over Dean's shoulders then wrapped her arms around him. "Thank God it worked."

Dean pulled back slightly his eyebrow cocked, "What worked? What did you do, Lex?"

"Nothing, it's not important." She stated firmly while smiling at her husband, "What's important is that the curse is broken, that you're a 100% again."

Dean cupped her face in his hands, his thumb rubbing circles against her cheek. He sighed then said gently, "Lexi, tell me what you did baby. Did you make a deal?"

"No!" Lexi scoffed. "I didn't make a deal. I went to Honey Island and found Ms. Thibodeaux. She broke your curse."

"Why would you do that baby? Why would you go to a Voodoo Priestess?" Dean asked her softly as he ran his hands through her hair.

"To save you. To protect you like you did when you got this protection charm for me."

"That's different."

Lexi pulled away from Dean and shook her head. "No, it's not. You went to Ms. Thibodeaux because you wanted to protect me and I went to her for the same reason."

"It IS different." Dean protested. "It's my job to protect you Lexi."

"And what's my job? Is it to sit by and watch you die? We're in this together Dean and that means I save you when you're in trouble. I love you and if you wanna be pissed at me then go ahead. But, I'm not sorry for what I did."

Dean smiled despite himself. He loved that Lexi was a fighter but he still had this deep need to keep her safe. He tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear then leaned in kissing her gently. "I'm not mad at you Lex. You're my wife, you're it for me. Lexi, if anything happened to you I'd lose my God damn mind."

"Nothing is gonna happen to me. You're forgetting I was trained by the best."

Dean grinned at her as he gestured to the baby monitor. "I'm gonna go get Stella. I wanna hold our little girl."

Dean swung his legs out of bed then grabbed his jeans that were hanging over the foot of the bed. He pulled on his jeans before leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of Lexi's head. He padded bare foot down the hall to the room the kids were sharing. Dean peaked in the room and flicked the light switch on. Stella was in her pack and play sucking on her fingers while babbling to herself.

Dean walked over to the pack and play whispering, "Hey Sweet pea, did you miss me? Daddy missed you."

Stella glanced up at the sound of his voice and began to shriek, "DADA! DADA!"

"I guess you did." He chuckled as he scooped her up into his arms. "Daddy's gonna change you and then we'll get you something to eat."

Once Dean changed Stella he made his way down to the kitchen. He bounced her in his arms as he sang softly to keep her from fussing. Sam looked up from his book when Dean entered the kitchen not bothering to hide his surprise. "Dean, you can…"

"Not now Sammy. I'm gonna feed my lil Sweet pea and spend some time with her. After that I got a bone to pick with you little brother."

"Dean, I…"

"We'll talk 'bout it later." Dean stated with a finality that Sam knew all too well. "Where are the boys?"

"Jake's crashed out on the couch and Ben and Alec are on the roof watching the street cars."

Alec sat crossed legged on the roof while watching the St. Charles Streetcar go by. He liked it up here. He wasn't sure if he like the city yet. It smelled different from the farm and the beach. He liked the smell of the salt air at the beach and the fresh clean air of the farm.

He wondered how long they were going to be here. Mom had told him and Ben that when Dad woke up he'd be back to normal. If that was true he was pretty sure Dad would want to move on. Alec wasn't sure how he felt about that. He liked Mom's Granny. He especially loved her cooking but this place wasn't like the farm. There wasn't a lot of room here for him and Ben to run around or trees to climb.

Alec glanced at his twin and took notice of the troubled look on his face. He had a pretty good idea what was troubling Ben. Ben was worried about Renfro finding them and what she would do to their new family. As much as Alec didn't want to think about it, it kept creeping up in his mind too.

"Benny, don't worry about Renfro."

Ben turned to look at his brother with a cocked eyebrow. "If she finds us…"

"Dad'll take care of her." Alec stated firmly. He threw his arm around Ben's shoulders and smirked. "Ya know Granny made a pecan pie. How 'bout you and me go steal a couple of pieces before Dad gets to it."

_**The Next Day**_

Lexi knelt as she zipped Jake's jacket. She smiled at her little boy tickling him. "You wanna ride the street car and show your brothers the French Market and get some beignets?"

"YES! Daddy too Mommy?"

"Not today sweetie. Daddy's still sleeping and he has some stuff do here for Granny."

"Oh ok but we bring Daddy something." Jake stated seriously with a nod of his head.

"Ok we'll bring him back some beignets."

Lexi put Stella and Jake in the old double stroller her grandmother had in the hall closet and waited on the corner of St. Charles for the street car. Alec was antsy as usual bouncing on the balls of his feet while Ben stood right next to her waiting patiently. She glanced at the list her Granny had given her and smiled. She knew by the items on the list her Granny was making gumbo for dinner. She couldn't remember the last time she had a bowl of her Granny's gumbo. It had to be at least a year ago.

The first stop when they got off the street car was Café du Monde for beignets. Alec and Ben devoured the powdered sugar covered donuts in record time. Alec grabbed the last beignet off the plate while raising his eyebrows at his mom. She shakes her head no as Alec smiled at her then takes a huge bite. He makes this happy contented sound around the still warm pastry causing her to laugh. He reminds her so much of Dean in that moment of course Lexi gave in and ordered them a second plate.

The next stop is to the French Market where Lexi picks up fresh vegetables and shrimp for her Granny's gumbo. The market has been in this spot for three hundred years and despite the pulse everything about the market still looks the same. Lexi remembers coming here as a little girl with her mom and granny to get fruits and vegetables. She takes her time going through the market letting the boys explore the tables and stands. They end up buying little trinkets for each of the kids and then they're off to Rouses for chicken and French bread.

Lexi stood on the corner of St. Peter's and Royal in front of Rouses Market staring at the old four story building across the street. It didn't look any different than it had the last time she saw it a year ago. The wrought iron balconies were still there along with the beat up aqua shutters. She took a deep breath then worried her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Lex, what are you doing here?"

She turned at the sound of his gravelly voice trying to manage a smile. "I…what are you doing here?"

"Your Granny told me you took the kids down to the French Market. When I didn't find you there I thought you might come here." Dean said while he gestured at the building across the street. "Why'd you come here baby?"

"I just I dunno. I wanted to go home." Lexi whispered as she stared at 640 Royal Street.

"Lexi, even if we could go home that apartment isn't big enough for us and four kids. Before the pulse we were talking about moving when we had another kid."

"I know. It's just I miss being here. I miss our life here."

Dean wrapped his arms around her waist tugging her back against him. He kissed the side of her head then whispered in her ear, "I miss it too."

"I want our life back Dean." She stated firmly before turning to look him in the eye. "I'm not afraid of this Renfro woman. Let her come here after us but she won't be leaving. A lot of bad things happen down here. People go missing all the time."

"So you want to kill her? What no speech on the sanctity of life?" Dean questioned her with a raised eyebrow.

"She's not gonna have any regard for our lives. She'll kill us and take our boys. I'm not gonna let that happen. I'm done running Dean." Lexi said her face set and determined.

"If you wanna stay here and make a stand, hell Lexi, ya know I'm in. I love this city as much as you do but, I think we should go back to the farm. The twins need a place where they can stretch their legs and not be seen. They ain't gonna have that down here. If you really wanna stay we'll stay. We'll figure something out for Ben and Alec."

"I wanna stay. New Orleans is our home, Dean and I'm not leaving without a fight."

Dean looked down at Lexi then smirked as he said, "That's my girl."


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*_

Dean stared at 640 Royal Street as he wrapped his arms around Lexi. He got why she came here. He just wishes that it was that simple to go home. Besides the fact that the apartment is too small for them it was their last known address. Manticore wouldn't even have to dig that hard to find them. If Dean was honest with himself, being here in this city, on this street corner, it made his head spin. He couldn't help but remember the last few days they were here before the world turned to shit.

**Two Days Before The Pulse**

_Dean had just returned earlier that day with Sam from a hunt in Mississippi and was surprised when his brother knocked on the apartment door. Dean raised his eyebrow as he waved Sam inside. He was even more surprised when Sam asked him to go down to Bourbon Street with him and Jackie. Dean was sure Lexi was going to throw an epic bitch fit and told them he'd meet up with them in a few minutes if he could. After being gone for a week Dean wanted to make sure Lexi was okay with him going out. "You sure you're okay with me going out? You're not gonna hold this against me five years from now?" _

"_Yeah, Dean, it's fine. How often does Sam willingly want to go drinking with you? So go have a few drinks with your brother. Me and Jake have a big night planned." _

"_Oh you do? What's this big night?" Dean asked with a smile._

"_I'm going to give Jake a bath, then I'm gonna make popcorn and we are gonna watch Finding Nemo."_

"_That sounds awesome maybe I should join you."_

"_No, go have some fun with Sam. Me and Jake will be fine."_

"_Okay, I'll be back in an hour." _

_Dean walked into the Funky Pirate and immediately spotted Jackie and Sam at the bar. Jackie was nursing a beer while Sam had a pyramid of shot glasses stacked in front of him. Dean gestured to Jackie to take the stool next to her so he could sit between her and Sam. Dean raised his eyebrows at his brother asking if he drank all those shots in the twenty minutes it took him to get down there. Sam looked at him bleary eyed and smiled, that was Dean's answer right there. "I've been doing hand grenades. Jackie bet me I couldn't drink ten of em." _

"_And you took that bet?" _

"_Uh, yeah." _

"_Dumb ass." _

_Sam began to whine about Jackie being no fun and Dean, as his big brother, had to do shots with him. It took a moment or two but Dean agreed flagging down the bartender and ordered double shots of scotch neat. Sam stared down at the amber liquid that filled the shot glass in front of him before turning to Dean, "What's this crap? I said I wanna do shots."_

"_It's scotch." _

"_I don't want scotch. I want hand grenades." _

"_Shut up and drink it wuss." _

"_I said, I don't want scotch!" _

"_Did you or did you not say you wanted to do shots with me? Well guess what Sammy this is what I drink. So stop being a little bitch even Lexi can shoot whiskey." _

_Jackie leaned over Dean taunting her husband until he huffed and pulled his bitch face which only made her and Dean crack up laughing. "What's so funny?" Sam demanded swaying on his bar stool. _

"_Nothing. Except for the fact that you look exactly like your two years old nephew but a lot taller." Jackie smirked._

"_HMPH. I don't like you." _

"_Okay." Jackie shrugged. "You say that now but you'll be loving me later tonight when you're begging me for a blow job." _

_She turned her attention to Dean asking what his plan was regarding recent rise of demonic possession and monster attacks. She told him not to be a damn hot head for once and to listen to the three of them. He took a swig of beer before mocking her; he jumped in surprise after Jackie smacked him upside the head. "Something's got 'em running scared and it ain't you. You're such a dumb ass." _

"_I'm not a dumb ass. You think a chick as smart as Lexi would be with me if I was stupid?" _

"_Lexi over looks your dumbassness because she loves riding your dick and you make pretty babies." _

_Dean's mouth dropped open at a loss for a comeback. Instead, he turned to his left to talk to Sam who was now suddenly missing in action. "Where the hell did he go?" _

"_Oh, he probably went to the men's room to throw up. He'll come stumbling back, Dean trust me. I couldn't get rid of your brother if I wanted to. Sam always comes back." She said with a smirk before finishing off her beer. _

_Dean turned around in his stool, his eyes searching the dimly lit bar when he started poking Jackie and laughing. He gestured towards the stage causing Jackie to laugh so hard she almost dropped her beer. On stage was Sam totally wasted and belting out Bon Jovi's 'Living on a Prayer.' Jackie pulled out her cell phone smiling from ear to ear, "We can't let him forget this." _

"_You're evil, ya know that Jackie." _

"_No one told him to get drunk and do karaoke. I'm just preserving his jack ass antics for prosperity." _

"_Uh huh and you wonder why I thought you were a demon when we met." _

"_Whatever. You're an idiot that's why you assumed I was possessed." _

_Dean huffed, he wasn't being an idiot the first time he met her. He found her to be suspicious by the way she offered up her opinions to Lexi about him. To Dean, Jackie was worming her way into Lexi's life. Any hunter would have assumed she was a demon. Of course, it all back fired when he attacked Jackie one night when she was leaving work and was forced to tell her what he did for a living. Dean finished off his beer before checking the time on his watch and pulling a face, "I gotta go." _

"_Lexi give you a bed time?" _

"_Nah, I told her I'd be back in an hour." _

"_Well, you're not leaving me here alone with him. Go get Sam off the stage and let's go." _

_Sam pouted and protested about leaving like an overgrown child. Dean being experienced with handling his brother when he was drunk and being difficult bribed Sam with the promise of more alcohol. He got off the stage willingly not even realizing that Dean was walking him out the door until they were out on Bourbon Street. "You lied!" _

"_Yeah, I did. I think you've had more than plenty, Sammy." _

"_It's SAM!"_

"_Whatever, just keep walking." Dean said as he helped his brother down the street._

_Jackie lit up a cigarette passing the pack to Dean asking if he wanted one. Jackie arched her eyebrow as she listened to Dean explain that earlier that day Lexi was bitching at him that the smell of his camels were making her nauseous. She even went as far as telling him to brush his teeth before she would let him kiss her. Jackie shook her head and smirked, she wasn't surprised that Dean hadn't put two and two together yet. It was obvious to her what was really going on with Lexi. Dean wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed that was for sure, which of course was one of the things that made Dean likeable in Jackie's opinion. _

_Dean helped Jackie get Sam up to their third floor apartment and through the front door. He took over from there and man handled his little brother on his own. Dean dumped Sam unceremoniously onto his bed as Sam continued to complain that he was short and bossy. By the time Dean pulled his brother's boots off Sam was out cold. Dean moved the trash can next to the bed and covered him with a blanket before shutting the light and leaving the room. _

_Dean made his way down to his second floor apartment and enters the apartment as quietly as he can. The living room is dark and silent. The only light coming from the French doors the faced St. Peter Street. Dean checks the salt lines across the windows and doors. Once he's satisfied that the lines are all intact, he then raided the fridge and watched a little television before heading to the bathroom to get ready for bed._

_Once inside the room he gropes for the switch then flicks the light on. He blinks, the sudden brightness of the room blinding him momentarily. Dean looks in the mirror grimacing as he turns on the water to wash his face. __His eyes are immediately drawn to the counter. There as plain as day sat a pregnancy test on the edge of the vanity. _

_Dean swallowed, his hands beginning to sweat as he suddenly felt nervous. They had been trying now for a little more than a year with no luck. He wasn't nervous because he didn't want another kid, he was nervous because he knew how bad Lexi wanted this to happen. And if Dean was being completely honest with himself, he wanted this too. Plus, he knew if it was negative again she was going to be heart broken. He looked down at the stick shaking his head before making his way into the bedroom to see if Lexi was still awake. _

_Dean found her sitting on their bed with Jake in her lap as she read to him. He stood in the door way a moment longer than he needed to taking in the scene before him. "You're not very subtle leaving the test on the counter so I could find it. Told you all the charts were crap." _

"_What are you talking about?" _

"_The pregnancy test." _

"_OH! I completely forgot about it. Jake woke up right after I took it and he's been giving me a hard time about going back to sleep." _

"_So, you haven't checked it yet?" Dean asked with a raised eyebrow._

"_No. I don't even know why I took it." She shrugged as she dropped her gaze to the bed. "It's gonna be negative anyway." _

"_You sure about that, Babe?"_

_Lexi glanced up at Dean her eyebrows knotted in confusion. "What…"_

_Dean smiled down at her, tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear then said, "Lex, you're knocked up."_

"_SERIOUSLY? Where is it? Are you sure? Was there one or two lines?" _

"_One, why would I lie about that? Two, it's on the counter in the bathroom. And three, there's two pink lines." _

_Lexi handed Jake to Dean rushing out of the bedroom. He couldn't help but smirk when he heard her shrieking 'I'm pregnant.' over and over again. She came running back into the bedroom the test clutched in her hand grinning from ear to ear. _

"_I can't believe it." She whispered before smiling up at Dean. "I'm pregnant."_

_Dean put Jake on the bed then reached for Lexi pulling her into his arms. "I told you it would happen."_

_Dean cupped Lexi's face in his hands, his eyes locked on to hers as he took a step closer backing her into the dresser. Lexi's breath hitched, the weight of his gaze making her heart pound. Dean was standing so close to her that she could count the freckles that ran across the bridge of his nose. Her eyes drifted down to his full mouth and it was at that moment Dean ran his tongue over his bottom lip. Now more than anything, Lexi wanted to feel his lips against hers. Just as she thought she couldn't wait anymore, Dean pressed his mouth to hers. _

_His kiss was soft, sweet and yet firm. The way his mouth moved over hers sent shivers up her spine. Lexi slipped one hand behind his neck, the other sliding down to grip his arm while she let herself get lost in his kiss. And as suddenly as it happened it ended. Lexi looked up at Dean while he took a step back._

"_Guess we're gonna need to get a bigger place." Dean smirked._

**Present Day**

Dean stepped back from Lexi releasing his grip on her. His eyes swept around then street in search of Ben and Alec. "Lex, where are the boys?"

"They're in Rouses trying to decide what kind of snacks they want to buy."

Dean nodded then looked at Lexi, "If we're gonna stay in New Orleans we can't stay long at your Granny's. We'd be putting her in danger."

"I know that. There's a lot of abandoned houses here."

"We gotta find one big enough for eight people."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*

_**November 25, 2010**_

Lexi started her campaign to find a house the morning following their conversation outside their old apartment. At first it was a subtle dropping of hints but now Dean can no longer feign ignorance on the subject. Lexi's now going online checking realty websites looking for what she thinks is the perfect house. She's even leaving the realty section of the newspaper in strategic places so that Dean can find it. Dean roll his eyes when he comes across them and adds them to the tower of old newspapers in the kitchen.

Dean chalks her behavior up to Lexi being Lexi since she has a tendency to worry and obsess over things. According to Lexi though, they need to start looking now since they know for certain that the Manticore threat is still real. Her wish list is a bit overwhelming to Dean, he can hardly remember ever living in a house, he's used to moving from dingy motel rooms to shit hole apartments. The idea of putting down roots and living in a huge house with a yard is kind of scary to him. And honestly, it's a little too Norman Rockwell for Dean's liking. "We don't need a big place, Lex."

"No? There's going to be me, you, Jake, Stella, Alec, Ben, Sam and Jackie. Or are Sam and Jackie finding their own place?"

Dean huffs knowing he's just lost any hope of winning this argument. There's no way he's about to let his brother live half way across the city with Manticore still gunning for them. "Fine, Lex, you win, go find a house."

"REALLY?"

"Yeah, I just have some conditions."

She crosses her arms in front of her chest while eyeing him carefully. She doesn't like this at all; she knows Dean all too well and is sure he's just going to make this difficult for her to find the perfect house. "Oh really? What kind of conditions are we talking about here Dean?"

"For one, it has to be within the city. I know you and your crazy romantic notions. We are not living in some Tara replica because you think that's what a southern house should be. And two, it can't be crazy expensive. Three, we aren't buying anything, it has to be rented. Who knows if will even be here in a year and we're not gonna be tied down by a house. Got it?"

"Tara? When did you watch Gone with the wind?"

"You made me suffer through that shit and stop changing the subject. Do we have a deal or not?"

"Ya know, I think I liked you better when you were mute." She teases with a smile.

"Lexi, I ain't kidding. Either you agree or I'll find us a place and I'm sure you ain't gonna like what I pick."

"FINE. It'll be in the city and it won't be crazy expensive and it'll be a rental. Happy?"

"Yes."

It doesn't take Lexi long to find a house. Actually, it takes her just two days. When she comes home smiling from ear to ear Dean knows he's in trouble. Wearily, he asks her why she's so happy. Lexi responds by telling him she has found the "perfect" house. Dean rolls his eyes knowing there is no such thing as perfect but instead of saying so he asks casually where it's located.

"Just a few blocks down from our old apartment on Royal Street."

"Really?"

"Yeah, you said within the city. It's in the Marigny about seven blocks down from St. Peter's."

"By the park?"

"Hmm mmm like two blocks from the park. Let's go, I got the keys."

"You what?"

"Stop. You're gonna love it. Trust me."

Dean stares up at the house in front of him in shock. Lexi is out of her damn mind, they don't need to live in a Victorian Mansion, and the place is enormous. He should've been more specific in his conditions that he gave her. He turns to his ecstatic wife who is obviously very proud of her find and blurts out, "Are you insane?"

"What?" She asks him innocently.

"Are. You. INSANE?" Dean repeats as he gestures towards the house.

"No, I'm not insane." Lexi snaps. "My parents had me tested."

"Lex, baby, we can't afford a place like this. Come on, this is like filet mignon and we're ground chuck."

"Don't say no until you see the place, then you can decide. Hey look it's got an iron fence around the whole property, demons can't get in."

"Okay, I'll give you that one."

She opens the gate gesturing for him to follow her as she rambles on and on about why it's a great house for them. Dean has to admit the house is pretty sweet but they really don't need a formal living room and dining room plus six bedrooms. It's just too much house for them and if Dean is honest it's kinda overwhelming too. Dean follows Lexi through the kitchen and out in the court yard. His eyes grow wide when he sees the barbeque pit and the size of the courtyard. He's only half listening to Lexi while she points out that the court yard has various trees in it like banana, kumquat and palm trees. All he can think about is running to the market and buying a shit load of ribs and firing up the pit. He looks at her his eyebrow raised, "How much did you say this place cost?"

"I didn't say but its five hundred dollars a month plus utilities."

"Why so cheap?" Dean asks not bothering to hide his skepticism. "Who died here?"

"No one died here Dean. I worked with the guy that owns it, Dr. Bunton. He had to put his mom in a nursing home after the pulse and he doesn't want to sell the house. Plus the furniture comes with it."

"That's a good deal then."

"Yeah and there's plenty of room for Sam and Jackie."

"Excuse me?"

"I said there's plenty of room for Sam and Jackie. I thought you wanted us to stay together."

"You want them to move in here too?" Dean questions her barely containing his surprise.

"Yeah, if they want to. The house is huge plus Sam will practically be living here anyway."

"You've done good babe. When can we move in?"

"He gave me the keys and I already paid him the first month's rent so immediately."

Dean smiles, really smiles, the boys are gonna love it here, they can ride his bike in the court yard and they could play catch. They could let the boys be normal kids for a little while at least. Hell, maybe Dean would even go and get the kids a dog. But, first thing first, Dean's gonna fire up that barbeque pit.

_**The Next Day**_

Alec is in rare form today. Since the moment Alec woke this morning he has been driving Dean crazy. It all began with Dean asking him if he had packed his stuff yet. That was all the opening Alec needed to begin his barge of questions. He interrogated Dean on the location and lay out on the house demanding to know his father's plan for the defense they were going to implement. By the time they actually arrived at the house Dean has had enough.

Dean grabs the last box out of the trunk and heads towards the gate with Alec on his heels. He's still chattering about security and Dean can't help but snap, "For Christ's sake Alec stop talking!"

Alec sticks his tongue at Dean pushing past him up the porch steps. He loves getting under his Dad's skin, it's just too easy. He knows exactly how to push his buttons to make the vein in his forehead to start throbbing and Alec enjoys every minute of it. He calls out to Dean to come inside saying there's something he has to see. Alec gestures to the kitchen when Dean walks through the front door.

Dean pulls a face but heads to the kitchen anyway. Dean stops dead in his tracks with his mouth hanging open. There's Lexi on top of the island cleaning off the rack that is holding the pots and pans. "Get DOWN! Or at least use the damned step stool. That's why it's there midget." Dean snaps walking into the kitchen and pulling her down onto the floor, "Are you trying to get hurt?"

"No, I'm not trying to get hurt." She replies with a roll of her eyes. "And for your information I can't reach it from the step stool."

"Then call me, Lex and I'll do it. You shouldn't be climbing up on stuff like that. What were you trying to grab?"

"Nothing I was cleaning. You're just a mother hen."

"Of course you'd gonna say that. You're gonna put me in an early grave Lexi."

Lexi rolls her eyes and huffs. Dean's so overprotective sometimes it drives her bat shit crazy. She watches him move around the kitchen unpacking, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. He might be over bearing, one might even say he's suffocating but no one could say he isn't sexy as hell. Lexi pounces pushing Dean back against the counter and smirks up at him. She kisses him slipping her hands under his shirt while biting his lower lip. Dean grabs her hips pulling her closer to him, his hands moving to cup and grope her ass. Before she can protest, he hoists her up onto the tiled counter grinning down at her.

Alec walks into the kitchen and hops up on the counter, this is the perfect time to get a little pay back for his Dad's teasing. He watches them making out for a minute before letting his presence be known. "Ya know people are gonna eat in here, Dad."

They both pull away from each other and shout, "Alec!"

"How do you KNOW I'm Alec? I could just as easily be Ben. We are TWINS ya know."

"A couple of reasons. One, you're wearing a Batman t shirt. Two, you can never keep your mouth shut. Now go out back in the yard to play before you really piss me off." Dean states through clenched teeth.

"No the kitchen is PUBLIC domain."

"Alec…" Dean growls as he steps towards him.

Alec's eyes go wide as he realizes he might have just pushed his luck too far. He leaps down from the counter and high tails it out of Dean's reach. He runs into Jackie and Sam then out the front door glancing over his shoulder to make sure his Dad isn't chasing him.

Jackie can't contain her excitement as she walks into the house on Royal Street. She doesn't even say anything to Alec when he practically bowls her over. Jackie goes from room to room her eyes wide in awe saying over and over, 'Seriously?' She heads out to the court yard to find Dean. She finds him with a beer in his hand as he checks the progress of his ribs. He looks happy, something Jackie thinks is all too rare for Dean. "Whatcha cooking there?"

"Ribs."

"OOOH that sounds good. Can you believe this place? Who died?"

"No one died, Jackie. You're so pessimistic."

Jackie shakes her head laughing and grabs herself a beer, "That's rich coming from you."

"Where's Sammy?"

"Unpacking. You know how OCD he is, he won't be able to sleep if he has boxes in our room."

Sam comes outside once dinner is ready, he scrunches up his face in disgust eyeing Dean's plate. Dean already has a pile of bones next to him, his hands and face covered in barbeque sauce. "You're disgusting Dean."

"Wha? How else am I supposed to eat ribs princess? And don't worry I made you girls some chicken."

Sam huffs making himself a plate before sitting next to Ben and Jackie. His face once again screws up from disgust. They're like wild animals sucking the meat off the bones so that they were completely devoid of any remnants of meat. Dean and the twins smirk and begin a huge production of eating and licking their fingers. They continue this for a good ten minutes before Sam finally brakes.

"Will you stop! You're all disgusting have you any couth?"

"Couth?" Dean asks raising his eyebrow, "What's couth?"

"It means having good manners and refinement Dean." Lexi states simply.

Dean looks over at Sam with a serious expression on his face and a rib in one hand, "I can't speak for the boys, Sammy but I ain't got any of that."

"Jerk."

"Bitch."

_**FBI Headquarters**_

_**Washington D.C.**_

Victor is about to call it a day when Renfro enters his office waving her government credentials in his face. He looks her over taking in every detail from her short blonde hair to her power suit. The name Renfro sounds familiar and then it hits him, she's Manticore. He gestures to a chair in front of his desk attempting to sound polite. "What can I help you with Ms. Renfro?"

"I need all your files on the Winchesters Agent Henriksen."

"You need to be a little bit more specific." Victor says while he leans back in his chair and gestures. "Winchester is a common name."

"I need all your files on Dean Winchester, his family and known associates."

"I'm afraid I can't help you."

"You are the agent that was assigned to the case of Dean and Sam Winchester, correct?" She questions him with an arched eyebrow.

"That is correct. However, the pulse wiped out all our files as you know and before you ask there aren't any hard copies. They were destroyed years ago per protocol."

"I see. What can you tell me then?"

"May I ask why you're interested in a dead man?"

"Because Dean Winchester faked his death."

"You have proof of this?"

"Yes, new evidence has come to light Agent Henriksen."

"What sort of evidence?"

"A marriage certificate. He married someone name Lexi Brennan in July of 2007. Did you perhaps interview this woman?"

"Actually, I did. It was in New York City in 2006. She told me she hadn't been in contact with Dean Winchester for two years. We watched her for a while and at the time her statement appeared to be truthful. My partner and I found no evidence that she had any knowledge on Mr. Winchester's whereabouts."

"Thank you for your time Agent." Renfro says with a smile as she stands up to leave.

Victor watches her while she walks out the door. He doesn't like this Renfro woman at all. They're gonna have to be careful with this one. He already knows she's gonna be ten times worse than Lydecker.

Victor waits until Renfro is long gone before leaving himself. He gets into his car, drives to the nearest restaurant and goes inside. He sits in a corner booth in the back of the restaurant, then pulls out a burner cell to call Dean. He picks up on the third ring. "Hey Clyde, we got a serious problem."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*_

Victor waits until Renfro is long gone before leaving himself. He gets into his car, drives to the nearest restaurant and goes inside. He sits in a corner booth in the back of the restaurant, then pulls out a burner cell to call Dean. He picks up on the third ring. "Hey Clyde, we got a serious problem."

"Man, do you ever have good news for me?"

"Sorry not this time. Heads up, woman from Manticore named Renfro's looking for Bonnie. Gave me some cock and bull story about reopening the St. Louis case. Said you faked your death and she's having the body in St. Louis exhumed to prove it."

"Shit. Well, ain't that awesome news. Anything else?"

"Not right now. Listen Clyde, you and Bonnie keep your heads down. Call me if you need anything."

"Yeah, we will."

Dean hangs up the phone and sighs. He looks out the kitchen window eyes sweeping across the courtyard landing on Lexi and the boys. Ben and Alec are riding their bikes while Lexi pushes Jake in the swing he had put up yesterday. From where he's standing he can hear Jake's laughter as he tells Lexi to push him higher. Dean's stomach clenches at the thought that this Renfro woman is closing in. His first instinct is to grab his family and run but he knows Lexi is right. They can't run forever. They'll always be looking over their shoulder and eventually, Manticore will find them. Dean doesn't want to drag his kids from place to place like John did to him and Sam. This is it. No more hiding. No more running. It's time to make their stand.

Stella's insistent babbling pulls Dean out of his thoughts. He turns to look at her as she gets louder and louder. At the moment Stella's in her bouncer attempting to pull off the stuffed monkey that's hanging down in front of her. She tugs on the toy, her babbling taking on a frustrated tone. Dean raises his eyebrow in amusement as he watches his daughter. The determined expression on her face is all Lexi and Dean knows he's in for it when she's a teenager. He crosses the room, kneels down and unhooks the stuffed monkey. He hands it to Stella, his heart doing this little jumpy thing when she grins at him and says, 'Dada.' In that moment all Dean wants to do is grab Stella from the bouncer, pack his family up and take off. But he knows he can't no matter how much he wants to protect them, especially his little girl. Dean takes her out of the bouncer and holds her close. He kisses her cheek saying softly, "Hey Sweet pea, you wanna go outside and see Mommy and your brothers?"

Dean goes out in the yard with Stella, grabs a patio chair and puts it in the shade before sitting down. He holds his little girl close to his chest singing softly to her in an attempt to get her to stop fussing. Stella quiets down, her little hand clutching his worn t-shirt and Dean can't help but smile. Her little fist holding on tight to his shirt is so reminiscent of her mother. Dean can't count how many times he's woken up in the middle of the night to find Lexi clutching a fistful of his shirt during one of her nightmares. He's sighs hoping his kids will never be plagued by the nightmares him and Lexi have.

He watches Lexi and the boys wondering whether or not they're selfish for having a family. Hunting is no life for a kid. He knows that first hand, hell he never got to be a kid. Dean doesn't want the childhood he had for his kids. He's trying so damn hard to make sure that doesn't happen but Dean's not sure how long him and Lexi can protect them from the reality of their life. Now with this Manticore woman searching for Lexi and trying to prove he faked his death, the shit's about to hit the fan. Again. It's just one more thing on a very long list of reasons why they'll never lead a normal life.

After a few minutes, Lexi helps Jake off the swing and heads over to join Dean in the shade. She leans down pressing a soft kiss to his lips before grabbing her own chair. She sits down glancing at Dean, then the boys and back to Dean. She takes notice of Dean's expression. His jaw his clenched, eyes full of worry. "Dean, what's wrong?" She asks quietly.

"Nothing." Dean replies.

"I know you. I know you better than anyone…" Lexi states gently while laying her hand on his knee. "Which means I know that you're lying."

He gives a shake of his head eyes downcast as he says, "Lex…"

"Is it Manticore?"

Dean turns to look at his wife then nods. "Victor called. Some woman named Renfro is looking for you."

"I see. Anything else?"

"Yeah. She told him she thinks I faked my death and is having the body in St. Louis exhumed."

Lexi watches their three boys play for a beat then states, "And you think she's coming here to find me."

"Yes."

"Well, let her find me. I'll make it real easy for her. I'll get my job back at the hospital. It's the first place she's going to look."

"No, Lex."

"Why not?"

"Uh, cuz it's dangerous."

"I'm done hiding. You said you were with me on this, on making a stand. This is where we do it. Dean, we've faced worse than this. They're gonna keep coming after us no matter where we are. She's only one person."

"You're okay with killing her?" Dean asks not bothering to hide his surprise.

"She's a part of the organization that experimented on and tortured kids. That's a monster in my book. Last time I checked Dean, we kill monsters."

"I don't like it but okay. You go back to the hospital and we'll take care of this Renfro woman."

_**Two Weeks Later**_

Dean heads straight to the garage to work on the Impala as soon as he gets the kids fed. He grabs the baby monitor even though Sam's staying home today to do research. Sam's determined to get intel on Renfro and Manticore which means his baby sitting skills are gonna be subpar. Dean knows all too well how his little brother will focus on the task at hand and not even blink if the house was burning down.

Dean stops on his way out of the kitchen and cards his fingers through Ben's hair. He tells Ben and Alec he'll be out in the garage and to come get him if they need anything. The boys nod both saying okay. He looks over at Stella in her bouncer then gestures to the boys saying, "Keep an eye on your sister."

Its late afternoon when Lexi walks into the garage carrying a beer for Dean. She finds him leaning over the hood of the Impala as he curses up a storm. Her eyes roam over him and she can't help but smirk. She'd be a liar if she said she isn't enjoying the view. "You thirsty, Dean?"

Dean straightens up then turns to look at her with a raised eyebrow. "How long you been standing there, Babe?"

"Long enough." She smiles as she closes the distance between them.

He takes the beer she's holding and wiggles his eyebrows, "Oh, yeah, Lex? Like what you see?"

Lexi hooks her fingers into the belt loops of his jeans tugging him closer then tilts her head back to look up at Dean. "You know I do. Love when you're all covered in dirt and grease, or in a suit and tie or the priest get up..."

"Ya know, Lexi," Dean chuckles, "you're kinda kinky. I like it."

She stands on her toes, presses a quick kiss to his lips and replies with a wink, "I know you do."

"Not for nothing Baby girl, last time you looked at me like that I got laid."

Lexi grins at him, slides her hands under his t-shirt then says, "Yeah, well you're gonna get laid tonight."

"Uh, thought we were out of condoms." Dean replies casually before taking a swig of beer.

"We are but see working in a hospital has its perks. I might have lifted some boxes from planned parenthood."

Dean throws his head back and laughs. Not just a little chuckle but a full body laugh. Leave it to his wife to steal condoms. He studies Lexi with a raised eyebrow to see if she's pulling his leg. She meets his eyes with a serious expression on her face and Dean realizes she's not kidding. "Wait. Lex, you seriously took a five finger discount on rubbers?"

"Yeah. You know since the pulse they're hard to come by."

Dean peers down at Lexi with a smirk saying, "How about me and you have a date night?"

"Tonight?"

"Yeah. When was the last time me and you went out alone?"

"Before the pulse."

"Exactly. We're way overdue. I'm gonna go get cleaned up. See if you can bribe Jackie into babysitting."

An hour later Dean and Lexi walk the five and a half blocks to Snug Harbor hand in hand. He releases hold of her hand to grab the door and holds it open for her. They snag a table in the back corner of the bar and order two beers. Dean smiles to himself as he flips through the menu. He's missed this place and not just because they have the best burgers in town. Snug Harbor is one of their old haunts going all the way back to when Lexi was in college.

Dean closes his menu then looks at Lexi. "You know what you want?"

"Yup. Cheeseburger, same as you." She says while pulling out her cell phone. "I'm gonna call to check on the kids."

"Lex, the kids are fine. C'mon it's date night, we get to take a few hours off from being Mom and Dad. Put your cell away cuz right now we're just Dean and Lexi."

"Okay but once the band starts playing Dean is dancing with Lexi."

They leave in the middle of the band's second set. This time the five and half block walk takes a little longer as they make their way home. Lexi grabs Dean's arm right before he opens the front gate. He glances down at her with an arched eyebrow while she whispers, "I'm not ready for date night to be over. Ya know once we go inside the kids are gonna be all over us."

"What are ya thinking then, Lex?"

She stares up at him with a wolfish grin, her green eyes full of mischief. "Some Led Zeppelin and us in the back seat of the Impala."

Dean reaches for Lexi pulling her close, his hands tangling in her long brown hair. He crushes his mouth to hers in a searing kiss. Lexi gasps against his lips while Dean drives his tongue into her mouth, curling around hers. The taste of Dean and whiskey floods her mouth as she returns his kiss eagerly. He pulls away suddenly, hands still in her hair and smirks, "Back seat now or we're gonna be putting on a show for the neighbors.

Dean unlocks the Impala and opens the driver's side backdoor for Lexi before he gets in the front. He turns the car on and pops Led Zeppelin IV into the tape deck then joins Lexi into the backseat. He pulls his t-shirt off tossing it into the front seat before grabbing the hem of Lexi's tank top. Dean pulls the material up slowly placing open mouth kisses to her exposed skin. Lexi shivers, fingers carding through Dean's hair. He pulls her top over her head tossing it in the same direction of his shirt before nuzzling his face against her neck, "You smell so fucking good..."

Lexi smiles then slides her hand between them to palm him through his jeans. She kisses him softly sucking his bottom lip into her mouth then pulls away slightly. Lexi moves her hands down Dean's chest resting them on his stomach before moving them to his belt. Her eyes never leaves his as she begins to slowly pull off his belt. Before Dean can protest, Lexi pops the button of his jeans and has his zipper undone.

Dean lifts his hips so she can push his pants and boxer briefs down. He closes his eyes as she wraps her hand wrap around his dick. He jerks into her hand while she licks at the hollow of his throat, her thumb rubbing the head of his cock.

Dean digs his fingers into Lexi's hips while she holds his dick firmly, her delicate fingers moving along his shaft quickly. She leans forward to lick and suck his nipples the whole while applying pressure and pumping his dick with her right hand. Dean opens his eyes, he can't breathe, and he tries to focus on the tension building inside him. He can't even do that as he feels Lexi drag the fingers of her free hand along his balls.

She massages his balls, fingers rolling gently back and forth as she twists her hand on his dick. Dean moans low in his throat thrusting in her hand. She brushes her thumb against the head of his dick, squeezes and moves her hand faster. His breath hitches, he can feel the tension building steadily in his stomach, he isn't going to last much longer. Lexi nips at the sensitive spot behind his ear, squeezing and tugging his dick as he grips her hips harder. He closes his eyes, sucks in a deep breath then places his hand over Lexi's stilling her movements.

"Lex, stop…"

She looks at him her eyebrow raised but stops before asking, "Something wrong?"

"No, baby, I wanna come inside of you not all over your hand."

Dean reaches towards her letting his fingers trail over the black lace of Lexi's bra before he begins tugging at her jeans. She lifts her hips to help him rid her of her jeans. He pulls the straps of her bra off her shoulders then places kisses along her collarbone. Dean continues kissing her moving up her neck to her jawline until his mouth is hovering at her ear. He lingers there, his hot breath sending shivers down her spine before he kisses his way to the spot behind her ear that drives Lexi crazy. Dean slides a hand up her back to unclasp her bra then tosses it towards the front of the car to join the rest of their clothes.

Dean surges forward, pushes her down onto the backseat and runs his hands slowly over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs then back up to her waist. His hands trace her curves, the softness of her skin intoxicating him. He grips her hips tight and pulls her flush to him. Dean presses his lips to hers biting down on her bottom lip as he pushes all the way into her in one hard stroke.

Lexi's eyes fly open in surprise, her mouth a perfect little O. She digs her nails into his back clinging tightly to him as he works up a hard steady rhythm. Neither one of them say a word. The only sound in the Impala is their hard breathing and the slap of skin on skin. Dean bites down on his lip pushing further and harder into her the way he likes it. Lexi closes her eyes and whimpers making desperate little noises. The sensations rolling over her are too much and she sinks her teeth into his bicep.

Dean knows she's close already. He can feel her legs starting to shake. He digs his fingers into her hips and pounds into her. He wants to feel her come, feel her muscles clench all tight around his dick. He knows it's not going to take much. Dean slides his fingers down between them to rock against her clit. Her nails dig into his back, hips bucking up against his. He moves his fingers faster as he fucks harder into her. "OH FUCK...DEAN...OH GOD..."

Dean feels her tighten and tremble, he's teetering on the edge. He feels the pressure in his balls tighten sharply when Lexi comes her muscles spasming and clenching around his dick. He closes his eyes, bites down on his bottom lip and picks up the pace. It isn't long before his hips begin to stutter. Three more hard thrusts into her and he's done. Dean collapses on top of her wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in the crook of her neck. He breathes in her scent then places soft kisses along her neck before whispering, "Damn, I needed that…"

Two days later Dean comes back from the French Market to find Lexi on the porch carving something into the door frame. He tells Ben and Alec to take Jake around back to play while he watches Lexi. She looks over her shoulder at him and then goes right back to work.

"Whatcha ya doing, Babe?" He asks trying to sound casual.

"Boundary spell." Lexi replies just as casual.

"I see." Dean says as he walks up onto the porch. He examines the symbols then says with a smile, "Just another Thursday then."

"Yup. Just another Thursday."

Dean runs his fingers over the symbols as he examines them more closely. He traces one in particular with a raised eyebrow. It's a five spot or as Sam would say a quincunx. He instinctively looks up. There, hanging above the door is a new floral swag. Dean would bet dollars to donuts that it's made with bloodweed. He's sighs saying bluntly, "You're messing with hoodoo now?"

"We're in New Orleans. So ya know, when in Rome and all that." She replies flippantly.

"Real cute Lex but this ain't funny. You shouldn't be dabbling in hoodoo. Hell, you should know better than that."

"Dean, I'm not dabbling. I got the spell and instructions from Ms. Thibodeaux. She said this will repel enemies. Let's be honest, we're gonna need all the help we can get."

Dean pulls a face. He doesn't like it one bit but he knows Lexi has a point. If and when Manticore comes a knocking they're gonna need to use everything at their disposal. He throws up his hands stating, "Okay, okay, you win. Keep on doing what you're doing and I'll keep an eye on the kids."

_**Manticore's Temporary Facility**_

_**Three days later**_

Renfro watches the lab tech with a raised eyebrow as he gathers his reports together. She can't help but think how much faster the testing would've gone if she had a permanent Manticore facility to bring the body to. This temporary facility was not adequate for the task at hand.

"Well, is the body in St. Louis Dean Winchester or not?" She questions with a hint of annoyance.

"Yes and no. See the DNA matches, however, there are some discrepancies."

"Discrepancies?"

"Yes! This is where it gets interesting. This DNA sample does not match the original sample in our database. This DNA sample here is enhanced but it's like nothing I've ever seen before."

Renfro snatches the report from the tech, her eyes scanning over it quickly. She then crosses the room to her brief case pulling out the DNA work ups of X5-493 and 494. She compares the reports before handing them over to the tech saying, "These are work ups of two of our X5's. They don't match the St. Louis sample."

"The base DNA does but not the enhancements."

Renfro takes the three reports back, places them in her brief case and head for the door. She stops turning to the tech, "I don't have to remind you that this is highly classified do I? None of this leaves this room."

"No, Ma'am."

"Good."

It takes three weeks for Renfro to finally show up in New Orleans. She shows up on a Wednesday waving credentials and asking to speak to Dr. Winchester. Lexi finally comes out to talk to Renfro an hour after the original page stating, "I'm sorry to keep you waiting. Unfortunately we're going to have to make this quick. The E.R. is crazy and we're shorthanded. How can I help you Ms. Renfro?"

"Of course. I just have a few questions regarding your husband."

"Dean? What about him?"

"Is he here in New Orleans with you?"

"No."

"Do you know your husbands whereabouts?"

"No, I don't. I haven't seen Dean in over a year."

"And why is that?"

"Not that it's any of your business but I left him. He came home one day with twin boys that were obviously his. Then the sonofabitch tries to convince me that they're his clones. Can you believe that? It was obvious that he cheated on me years ago. It was the last straw. So I packed up me and my son and left Dean and his "clones" in Kansas."

Renfro raises her eyebrow then hands her card as she says, "Well, thank you for your time Dr. Winchester. If your husband does contact you please call me."

Renfro doesn't leave the hospital after speaking with Lexi Winchester, instead she stays interviewing nurses and orderlies. She makes a point asking if any of them have seen her husband Dean. All of them give her the same answer. They haven't seen Dean Winchester since Dr. Winchester returned. After a few days with no sign of Dean Winchester, Renfro heads back to the new Manticore facility.

Two weeks later Sam is in the living room looking through The Times-Picayune for a local case when a breaking news report interrupted the kid's show that Jake was watching. Sam stares at the t.v. and calls for his brother. Dean comes rushing in from the kitchen with Stella in his arms. Sam doesn't say a word and points to the screen. Dean looks to where his brother is pointing his eyes widening as he realizes what the news anchor is saying. The existence of Manticore has been discovered.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*

December 15, 2010

Dean Winchester is no stranger to tragedy. He learned from a young age that real evil exists in the world. He's always held on to hope and the thought that his mother would want him to brave. He often wonders what his life would've been like if his mother had lived. He supposed he wouldn't be hunter but he would be helping people. Even from a young age he wanted to help others. That's why he's here now in St. Louis Cemetery hunting ghouls despite the fact that he's supposed to be laying low.

Despite Victor's dire warnings to stay off the radar, Dean just can't sit around doing nothing. Sure it's dangerous to be caught harboring a transgenic at the moment with the country sitting on a powder keg. There's congressional hearings, demonstrations and riots in most of the major cities; some people are even demanding the government round up the transgenics and get them off the streets. But how can Dean stay in hiding from Manticore and vigilantes when damned ghouls chowed down on some teenagers a few days prior in his town?

Dean pauses at Marie Laveau's tomb with all its triple x's scribbled on it. Lexi is standing in front of it with her hand resting on the tomb's wall. "You praying to the Voodoo Queen or something?" He whispers.

"No, I'm not praying to her. I was trying to see if the teenagers came to her tomb."

"You getting any psychic replay of their movements or the ghouls?"

"Yeah…"

"Well don't keep me in suspense Lex."

"The kids were here but I don't think this is where the ghouls are hiding out."

"Why not? It's a cemetery."

"Because Dean," Lexi says as she waves her hand at the surrounding tombs. "there's too many "ovens" here. Ghouls aren't gonna pry open one of these ovens and slither in with a body. They're gonna go for a mausoleum. There's not too many here. Plus with all the tours coming through here someone's gonna notice a mausoleum door that's been pried open."

"Ok, point taken. That means they're probably holed up at Lafayette where Sam and Jackie are. Great let's go."

_**Lafayette Cemetery **_

Jackie's eyes dart around Washington Street while Sam fishes his lock pick tools out of his jacket. She can't help but wonder if Lexi's Granny has some left overs. Her house is only a few blocks down from here and Jackie's starving. As if on cue her stomach gives a loud growl.

"Really, Jack?"

"Shut up Sammy and pick the fucking lock so we can get this over with and I can go raid Estelle's fridge."

Sam rolls his eyes at his wife before picking the old iron lock quickly. He then turns to Jackie with a smirk stating proudly, "Told ya I was fast."

"That's what she said." Jackie dead pans while she walks past him through the gate.

"You've been hanging out with my brother too long." Sam snaps at her retreating back.

"Nah, it's not Ace's fault Sam, I've always been this way."

"Yeah, yeah. Enough chit chat let's get this done."

Sam and Jackie make their way methodically through Lafayette cemetery in search of the ghouls. They check every mausoleum and the small alleys between them for any sign of the ghouls hide out. The night is warm and humid for mid-December even by New Orleans standards. There were a million other places Jackie would rather be at the moment.

"You sure it's ghouls?" Jackie asks while she stops to wipe the sweat off her face. "I thought they didn't chow down on the living."

"Normally they don't, they go for corpses but if they're disturbed or pissed off they'll chow down on the living. Problem with that is once they taste fresh meat, they won't go back to corpses. Remember head shot will take 'em down but to kill 'em we gotta decapitate 'em."

"I know, Sam. I'm not an idiot." Jackie snaps.

"I didn't mean…"

"Whatever, let's get this shit done." She says before turning down the next row of mausoleums. Jackie stops suddenly the stench over whelming her. She covers her nose and mouth while gesturing to Sam. "I think we just found the ghoul's feeding grounds."

Dean parks the car on the corner of Prytania Street and kills the engine. He turns to Lexi and rests his hand on her knee as he says, "Why don't you go to Granny's to check on the kids? I know this isn't how you wanted to spend your birthday."

"Wait. You want me to go to my Grandmother's and let you walk in that cemetery with no back up? You're fucking crazy, Dean. That's not happening. And don't use my birthday as an excuse to side line me from a hunt."

"I'm not using your birthday as an excuse besides Sam and Jackie are already there." Dean protests.

"Yeah and it's a big cemetery. They're not gonna be at the gates waiting for you. I'm coming so get your shit and let's do this."

"Lex…"

"Don't you Lex me. I can take care of myself. Are you coming or not?" She growls before getting out of the car.

Dean sighs as he gets out of the car then goes around back to the trunk to get the shot guns, a machete and flash lights. He hands a flash light to Lexi but holds the shot gun out of her reach.

"Dean, give me the gun."

"I'll give it to you if you promise you'll stay behind me and do what I say."

"This isn't my first rodeo." Lexi says through clenched teeth while reaching for the gun.

Dean jerks his arm back, "I don't care how many hunts you've been on, these ghouls have killed four people and snatched two more that we know of. If you're gonna do this with me I'm the one taking point and you follow my lead. You got it Lex?"

"Fine, Dean, whatever."

Alec and Ben sit on the roof of the old yellow double gallery house on Prytania Street looking towards Lafayette Cemetery. Alec sits crossed legged while Ben sits with his knees pulled up against his chest. Normally, Ben likes it up here on Granny's roof but not tonight. Tonight he's too worried to enjoy it. Besides the fact that his whole family's in Lafayette Cemetery hunting some ghouls, transgenics are being hunted by Manticore and the public. Even though his dad told him that it's nothing for him and Alec to worry about Ben can't help but worry because that's what he does.

Alec sneaks a pick at his twin taking notice of the troubled look on his face. The look is the same one their father has been wearing as of late. Alec knows full well what's troubling Ben. It's been troubling him too but unlike Ben, Alec is better able to hide it. He glances at Ben again saying, "Benny stop worrying about Renfro."

Ben turns his eyes to his brother eyebrow cocked. "Renfro found mom. If she finds us…"

"Mom took care of it and if she comes back you heard what Dad said. He'll take care of her." Alec says firmly. He sighs before throwing his arm around Ben's shoulders. Alec loves his brother really does but sometimes he worries about Ben. Ben frets over everything and change is hard for him. Alec is pretty sure if Ben ran from Manticore alone he'd have already been captured. For all the skills Ben has sometimes he outsmarts himself. Alec glances at Ben with a smirk on his lips, "Ya know Granny said she made an apple pie. How 'bout we go steal a few of pieces before Dad gets back?"

The scene in the mausoleum is chaotic when Dean and Lexi arrive. Lexi barely has time to register Jackie unconscious on the floor and Sam surrounded by three ghouls when she hears Dean fire off a shot. In a split second she's knocked to the ground by one of the remaining ghouls, her gun skittering to the opposite side of the room. The ghoul stands over her gloating about how it's going to enjoy dining on the infamous Winchesters. She lets the ghoul talk as she looks for a weapon. Out of the corner of her eye she sees Jackie's discarded 9 mm to her right.

"Are you gonna eat me or talk me to death?" Lexi snaps.

The ghoul stares down at her saying with a smirk, "I wonder if psychic half breeds like you taste different than normal people?"

Lexi rolls to her right snatches Jackie's gun and fires. The first shot hits the ghoul center mass, the second between the eyes. She leans against the wall, ears ringing and tries to catch her breath. Sam's machete is lying near the entrance, Lexi retrieves it then decapitates the ghoul she shout. She hears a crash from across the room, Dean cursing, his gun going off then the sound of a blade slicing through flesh. "You okay, Lex?" Dean calls from where he stands blood splattered and out of breath.

"Yeah. I'm gonna check on Sam. See if you can wake Jackie."

Dean helps Sam and Jackie into their car then drives it the short distance to Estelle's house on Prytania Street. Once there, Lexi sets herself up in her Granny's kitchen to patch the others up. She starts with Sam stitching up the deep cuts to his arms. She also cleans up the smaller abrasions he has before patching up Jackie. Lexi checks her for a concussion then stitches the gash on her left shoulder. The moment Lexi's done Jackie's out of the chair and heading to the bathroom to retch. Lexi calls after Sam reminding him to not let Jackie go to sleep since she has a concussion. Lexi then turns to Dean saying, "Sit it's your turn."

"Lex…" He grumbles but takes the seat across from her.

"I've lost count how many times I've patched you up." She remarks while gently cleaning the cuts and abrasions on Dean's right hand. "Why do we do this again?"

"Cuz we know what's out there and who else is gonna do it? Plus, I think we all might be masochists."

Lexi laughs with a shake of her head before meeting Dean's eyes. "I think there might be some truth in that. Here I thought I was about to hear one of your pep talks."

"Nah, "Dean replies with a smirk, "I save them for when shit is about to get real. Ya know like we're all gonna die…again."

Lexi raises an eyebrow trying hard not to roll her eyes before taking care of the cuts on her husband's face. She cleans the cuts as gently as she can knowing full well how bad the antiseptic stings. She then inspects the laceration above his eyebrow that is still bleeding. "I'm gonna have to put a couple of stitches in this one…"

Dean nods then says, "Ok but only if you let me check out your ankle."

"My ankles' fine."

"Lexi, I saw you limping. When you're done patching me up, I'll patch you up. Deal?"

"Deal."

Once Lexi finishes stitching the cut, Dean leans forward then slides her left boot and sock off carefully. Lexi can't help but wince as Dean feels her ankle. He looks up at her while moving his hands around her ankle asking, "This hurt?"

She nods and Dean continues his examination saying, "You did good out there tonight."

"You sound surprised." Lexi replies lightly.

"I'm not surprised Lex. I know you're good at the job and I'm proud of you. I don't want you out there risking your life and that's not gonna change. You being my wife, me loving you, puts you in danger. You hunting only ups the ante. I brought you into this nightmare cuz I'm selfish..."

Lexi watches Dean silently wrap her ankle with an ace bandage for a beat before responding, "I'm gonna say this again Dean. You didn't bring me into this nightmare. I was in it the moment I was born because of who my parents are. You taught me how to protect myself, you saved me. You know what, you loving me isn't selfish. It just shows that you're human and you deserve to be happy. I mean, us being together makes you happy right?"

"Yeah," Dean says while glancing up at his wife. "it makes me happy. You and the kids, you all make me happy."

"Then that's all that matters." Lexi reaches down cupping Dean's cheek in her hand then whispers. "I love you. The rest of the world can go to hell."

Dean can't help but smile at her. He knows he'll never completely be able to shed the guilt he feels for bringing her into his world because that's who he is. He feels a responsibility to keep everyone safe and that will never change. But hearing Lexi say those words gives him this warm feeling. He knows she'll always be there by his side and maybe, just maybe, they'll be able to survive whatever nightmare comes there way.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*

**_Jackson Square, New Orleans_**

**_December 23, 2010_**

Sam sat in the chair next to Jackie glaring at the tourists as they passed by. He couldn't believe how gullible these people were. What were the chances of finding a real psychic that set up shop in front of St. Louis Cathedral? They had to know these people were a bunch of charlatans. Yet, they still handed over their ten dollars enthusiastically. It made Sam sick to his stomach.

It wasn't like Sam had never hustled some guy at pool or cards but he didn't take enjoyment from it the way Dean and Jackie did. What made him angry was the fact that both Dean and Jackie could get honest jobs. There was no reason why Dean couldn't work somewhere as a mechanic and Jackie could tattoo or even sell her art work at the French Market. Instead, they decided it was more profitable to cheat the never ending stream of tourists that tramped through this city on a daily basis.

Sam glanced at the woman that had happily taken the seat across from Jackie snorting in disgust. He ignored the dirty look Jackie had thrown in his direction deciding that it was time to chase these idiots away. "You know she's nothing but a fraud. She doesn't have a psychic bone in her body. Oh, and she's not Romanian, she's Mexican from East L.A."

"Pay no attention to this non believer. He is a BITTER man that has been marked by great tragedy and is surrounded by all sorts of DEMONIC energy."

"Whatever Ms. Jacqueline pack up and let's go or I'll call your mother and tell her you're doing psychic readings in front of a Catholic church."

Jackie attempted to keep her cool in front of the client but vowed to do bodily harm to Sam once they were home. She made a big show of fixing her veil before standing and addressing the client, "I deeply apologize for this terrible interruption. You will seek what you find when you seek it with all your heart. I must go now."

"Get that from a fortune cookie, Jack?"

"Oh shut up, Sam! You're such a pain in my ass sometimes, ya know that."

"Whatever, I'm hungry and it's $5.99 steak night at Déjà vu. I wanna get there before it gets crowded."

"HMMM, steak, now that sounds awesome." Jackie took off her veil and gold earrings placing them carefully in her bag. She began to pack up the rest of her things or props as Sam referred to them. She had tarot cards, candles, crystals and a star patterned table cloth that she picked up in some "voodoo" store for tourists. Once she had everything packed and the table and chairs folded up she turned to Sam whose lips were in a rigid thin straight line. "Do you wanna go home first and drop this stuff off or go right to Déjà vu?"

"Let's go back to the house first."

They made the short walk to the house that they shared with Dean and Lexi in silence so Jackie could drop off her belongings. The house they shared was an 1850's Modified Greek Revival complete with a wrought iron fence, balconies, French doors and shutters. Jackie loved it. To her, it screamed New Orleans. She could throw open the French doors and battered green shutters and let the sound of the Marigny stream inside. Sam hated when she opened all the windows, he said it was because he was hot and wanted the air conditioning on, but Jackie knew better. Sam always complained about the noise from the street. Tonight, the sound of a long trumpet was floating through the open windows.

After they both changed their clothes they walked down to the corner of Dauphine and Conti Street where Déjà vu was located for dinner. It had become sort of a weekly routine. Every Tuesday night was spent at Déjà vu for their $5.99 steak special. Jackie was actually somewhat surprised that Sam wanted to go every week but then again where else can you get a New York Strip so cheap?

Sam didn't say anything during the walk until they were standing in front of the bar's door. And of course it was about how she was earning money. Jackie rolled her eyes as she listened to Sam go on and on about what she and Dean are doing is wrong for what felt like the hundredth time. She countered with the argument that they made good money and it freed them up for hunting unlike if she was tattooing again. Sam didn't seem to understand that she wouldn't be available for a hunt if she had clients booked. All Sam could argue is that hustling is wrong but Jackie didn't see it as wrong and neither did Dean. It wasn't like they were holding a gun to these people; they willingly sat down at her table and forked over the $10.00 for her to "read" them. Sam, however, wanted her to sell her artwork which he deemed to be a more respectable way of making a living. The only thing that shut him up was when she pointed out that he didn't even use his real name to gain employment. Now how respectable was that?

Sam held the green door of the dive open for Jackie, the rush of the air conditioning hitting them hard. The place was small and dark with only four booths and a handful of tables scattered about the room. There was a full sized bar running the length of the place which made anyone feel like a local when sitting there. The décor was sparse, mostly stringed lights and Jazz Fest posters from years past. Jackie smirked when she saw Dean and Lexi sitting in the last booth.

Lexi sat in the booth across from Dean, Alec and Ben, them with Stella asleep in the stroller that was next to the booth. Jake was sitting in his father's lap while Dean fed him nachos one at a time. Jake's face was covered in sour cream and refried beans, his chubby little hands grabbing the nachos from Dean greedily. Jackie and Sam slid into the booth next to Lexi, Jackie stealing a nacho and Sam scrunching his face up in disgust.

"Well, no more Gypsy Rose, Ace. Sammy's, threatening to call my mother. 'Sell paintings, Jackie.' That's what he says. Like that's gonna pull in money. He has "moral" issues with it."

"Wha? That puts food on our tables." Dean glared at Sam taking a swig of his Abita Amber beer. He mumbled the word bitch looking straight at Sam who pretended not to hear Dean. Instead, Sam acted like he was focused on the menu hiding behind it as he flipped through it. Dean shook his head snatching the menu from Sam and hitting him with it, "Stop being a little bitch. We all know you're here for the steak."

"Maybe I want to look at their drinks, Dean."

"Yeah, okay. You want me to order you something with one of those little umbrellas like what my wife's drinking? Maybe a hurricane? You think you can handle that, Samantha?"

"Shut up, jerk."

Lexi looked at Jackie then rolled her eyes wondering how long their arguing would go on before they started wrestling on the floor like children. She let them bicker a few more minutes until she couldn't take their childish nonsense any longer. She threw Sam a dirty look before turning to Dean and interrupted his impression of Sam, "So any new leads on Renfroe?"

"No. Victor's working on it though."

Jackie nodding leaning back against the booth and kicking his foot while trying really hard not to smirk, "So you're gonna be a good boy and not look for trouble?"

Dean raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "When have I ever not looked for trouble?"

"Ya know what Dean?" Sam huffed, "Maybe that's the problem. Maybe this time you need to listen and not go off halfcocked!"

Dean narrowed his eyes waving his fork and using it for punctuation, "Don't talk to me about listening to other people. You're as thick headed as I am. And ya know what, Sammy; you're not calling no one's mother. If you do I'm gonna call the city and tell them that the freakishly tall tour guide used an alias to get his tour license."

Sam put his fork down staring at Dean before launching into a rant on how it was wrong and immoral to take money from people by pretending to be psychic. He then went on to lecture Dean specifically on how as a father it was now his responsibility to be a good role model for his kids and teach them that hustling people is wrong. AND that Dean needs to lead by example and a good example would be to work an honest job. Dean sat there mocking his younger brother wishing he'd just shut up. The one that did shut him up was the precocious toddler that was sitting on Dean's lap. Jake pointed at his Uncle Sammy, his face all scrunched up, "Quite Sammy. No more talkin. SHHHHHHHH."

Sam got all snippy after that throwing his and Jackie's share of the bill on the table. He didn't appreciate being put in his place his young nephew. It was bad enough he had to grow up with Dean's teasing now it seemed he would be reliving it by his nephew's hand. Jackie poked his side telling him to stop pouting and to get the hell out of the booth. He rolled his eyes and huffed getting up to let her out.

After another round of drinks they made their way back to the house on Royal Street. Despite it being a cool winter's night the streets were crowded with tourists. Trying to avoid the topic of Renfroe and Manticore, Sam went on a rant about how the Catholic Church stole yet another pagan holiday to lure people to their beliefs. Dean knew better to ask for details but did anyway and found himself getting a history lesson on the origins Christmas and Jesus' real birthday.

_**December 24, 2010**_

The day started off like any other day in the Winchester household, hectic. Once all the kids were fed and dressed, which was no easy feat, Dean and Lexi went their separate ways. Dean, Sam, Ben and Alec headed out to find a Christmas tree and would pick up Lexi's Granny afterwards. Lexi headed out to the French Market with Jake and Stella in the double stroller to pick up some last minute things. Jake had other ideas. He protested almost the whole way that he was a big boy and didn't need to be in the stroller. He only quieted down when Lexi promised him he could get out once they reached the market.

When Lexi returned to the house a half an hour after Dean, he immediately knew something was wrong. He handed the string of lights to Alec telling him to check that all the lights were working before him and Ben put it on the tree then headed towards the kitchen to find his wife.

His eyes swept over the kitchen and to the bags that were on the counter. Nothing seemed amiss especially with Jake happily covered in powdered sugar and showing him the beignet he held in his hands. Forgetting his worry, Dean snatched the Café Du Monde bag in Lexi's hand eager to devour the warm sugary goodness that was inside. She handed him a coffee before saying softly, 'We have to talk.' Every man knows that nothing good has ever come from that phrase. Dean did know one thing, either he was in trouble for something or something did happen when she was out. Either way, it was not a good thing.

Lexi gestured for Dean to follow her as she walked out the back door in the kitchen to the courtyard. Dean took his coffee and his bag of beignets out with him hoping that she was just going to tell him that she had spent too much money. He knew that was only wishful thinking on his part. Being a Winchester all he had to do was stick his finger in the air and shit would stick to it.

"What's going on, Lex?"

"Well, I was at the Farmer's Market before taking the kids to Café Du Monde and there was a man..."

"Ok, well there's a lot of men at the Market. What's so special about this one, was he Manticore?"

"No. He was a demon."

_**The French Market **_

_**An Hour Earlier **_

Lexi was checking each kumquat she was placing in her plastic bag to make sure they weren't too ripe. Jake loved the little citrus fruit more than oranges; she figured it was because they were small and easy for him to throw at whoever was feeding him. At the moment Jake was attempting to pull himself up into the bins to get to the fruits that were on display. She pulled him down repeatedly but Jake kept going back determined to hoist himself inside the bin. His stubbornness was only one of the many traits he had inherited from his father. Some days Lexi wondered what she had ever done to deserve having a son just like Dean. At the moment, she was too distracted from keeping Jake by her side and selecting her produce to notice the well-dressed stranger that had sidled up next to her. The man grabbed an orange looking at Lexi out of the corner of his eye as he said nonchalantly, "They say they should be heavy for their size and slightly firm when you buy them."

"I don't buy oranges. They're a pain to peel. I stick with clementines and kumquats."

"You could always just cut them."

Lexi turned away from the man to see what Jake was doing since he was finally being quiet. Jake was sitting on the concrete floor happily eating a bag of Zapp's potato chips as if he was at home. She gasped in shock as she realized that Jake had just grabbed a bag off the display and opened it. "You can't eat those chips yet, mommy didn't pay for them."

"But they YUMMY, Mommy!"

"Yes, sweetie, I know they are but you can't take things off the shelf and eat them."

Lexi knelt down so she was eye level with Jake taking the bag out of his chubby hands. She explained to him gently why it was wrong to grab food off the shelves and eat them before paying for them. He just stared back at her with Dean's indignant expression on his little face. Jake's mouth dropped open, his green eyes suddenly huge as he pointed at the bag Lexi now held in her hands in excitement. She looked down at the bag of chips in her hands, her own eyes going wide as she watched the bag reseal itself. She knew Jake had not resealed the bag and turned back to the tall dark haired stranger that was smiling down at them. Lexis snatched Jake up off the floor and pulled the stroller with Stella still in it closer, her eyes never leaving the man's face. "Christo."

He leaned casually against the bin inspecting his cuticles not at all affected by the word. He looked at Lexi trying to appear unthreatening and stated simply, "That doesn't exactly work on me. Iron, now that's the one thing none of us seem to be able to get past. I'm not here to hurt you or take your children. Why aren't you doing anything?"

"I'm not gonna stab a man in public, I'm not an idiot, too many witnesses."

"No, I mean why aren't YOU DOING anything. You're half."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not half anything. I'm a hunter but you already know that."

"I know what you are Lexi Winchester. Don't bullshit me, I'd know. I'm your brother. What I really want to know is why you're not using your powers on me right now."

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Ares and WE are related. Same father, you know the one who your delectable husband offed not too long ago. Thanks for that by the way. You know, I really should have sent him a fruit basket or something. Thank you just doesn't really convey how much I appreciate him getting dear old dad out of my way." Ares leaned forward whispering, "And how do I thank you little sister? If it wasn't for that blood magic you used I'd still be rotting in that cage."

Lexi stared at him as she took in what he had just said. She knew Azazel had demonic children, there was Meg who Dean had sent back to hell and a nameless brother that had been killed with the colt but she thought that was it. She never expected that there would be more of them. The weird thing though, not that it wasn't already weird to be told you have a demon for a brother, was that they sort of looked alike. He was tall, about six foot two, with the same chestnut colored hair and full mouth. She told herself DNA had nothing to do with it, he simply found some poor guy that could pass as her brother and possessed him. It was a ploy, a way to suck her in and make her listen to him, nothing more.

Ares tilted his head studying Lexi intensely. He attempted to smile, the corners of his lips turning upward but he still had a sinister air about him. Even on his handsome face the smile was off putting and unkind. "You let your hunky husband bind you, didn't you? Such a shame you had great potential. But I bet he doesn't know your visions never went away does he? Or what about the telepathy? You still have that with him. Don't worry, I won't out you, it'll be our little secret."

"I set you free? That's not possible."

"Afraid so. You just can't go around using blood magic, there's always a price. And the price of that spell you did was busting open the locks on my cage."

Jake stared at Ares babbling and pointing as he did so. Both Ares and Lexi looked at him curiously before Ares was pushed backwards into the apple display by an unseen force. Ares ignored the stares of the passersby's as he stood up. He made a big production of brushing himself off, fussing with his shirt sleeves and the jacket of his designer suit. He turned back to Lexi and Jake with a prissy look on his face, "Well, that was uncalled for. Do you have any idea how much this suit cost?" Lexi rolled her eyes while putting Jake back into the double stroller. She grabbed her groceries and headed towards the cashier ignoring Ares as if he wasn't even there. Ares stood rooted to his spot, his mouth hanging open, "Where are you going?"

"Home before Jake drops the ceiling on you. He really likes to do that to his evil uncles just ask his Uncle Sammy. Plus, we don't really need to be on the 5 o'clock news."

"I just wanted to see you and introduce myself."

"Oh spare me the sympathy for the devil bullshit. You are nothing to me but a cock roach that I have to squash." Lexi sneered.

"You're a little spit fire, I like that. You know, whether you like it or not you're one of us."

Lexi smiled sweetly up at him shaking her head. She knew what he was doing. He was trying to get into her head and make her doubt who she was. She knew damn well who she was. She was the daughter of a hunter, a wife to a hunter, a mother, a doctor and a hunter in her own right. She put on her poker face, she was not about to let him see the cracks in her facade. She knew better than to let a demon see how concerned she was about going up against them. She told him he was wrong, she was a Winchester and if it took her last breath to send him back to hell, well that's what she would do. While Lexi stood in line at Café Du Monde a few minutes later Jake looked at her, his little eyebrows knotted up, "He's a bad, bad man, Mommy."

"Yeah, baby, he's a bad man. Don't you worry about him, okay? Daddy and Mommy will take care of him."

Dean leaned against the railing of the back porch letting what Lexi said sink in. So, there was a new big bad they had to deal with and he was another of Yellow Eyes' kids. Well, wasn't that just great. It only got better; this douche bag was the God of war. Oh, yeah this was going to be fun. Dean knew he wasn't really a God; he was just another demon with a HUGE ego. They'd take care of him, no problem; they did have the colt after all. Dean couldn't help but wonder what happened to the good old days of salt and burns, he missed those hunts.

"Don't worry, Lex, I'll take care of him."

"Dean, I don't think it's going to be that simple."

"He's a demon not a God. It's all ego. Come on, ya know that."

"True but you shouldn't under estimate him either. There has to be a reason Azazel locked him up. Let's do some research first. You shouldn't go after him without knowing what he's capable of."

Dean huffed crossing his arms. He knew what she was saying made perfect sense and was reasonable. But when was he ever reasonable? He liked going in guns blazing, wasn't like their plans ever panned out anyway. So, what was the difference? He knew what Lexi would say the difference was, the difference was they had kids. Dean ran his hand through his hair before looking at Lexi. He knew she was right, they'd do some research first to keep her happy and then he was going after this asshole guns locked and loaded.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16:**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*_

Lexi watches Dean from the arch way as he sits at the dining room table. She takes notice of the set of his shoulders. It really is like the weight of the world rested on them. Everything about Dean is different from when they first met. Gone is the easy grin and cockiness. His smile is different, most of the time it doesn't even reach his eyes. She wouldn't say that he's beaten down, no, Dean's weary like a solider returning from a long war. He is definitely not one without vices. Food, alcohol, sex. Lexi knows she shouldn't indulge him but she does anyway in hopes to see a spark of the old Dean.

She walks into the room and stands behind her husband, her hands resting on his shoulders. "Did you find anything?" Lexi asks while rubbing the tension out of his neck and shoulders.

"Nothing useful." Deans says has he pushes away the book he was reading.

"We'll find something."

"We have the colt and the demon knife."

"We don't even know if the colt will work on Ares since he's half. And if the demon knife doesn't work on me it's not gonna work on him."

"Maybe some kinda spell to put him back in whatever cage Yellow eyes had him?"

"That could work." Lexi stops massaging Dean's shoulder and sits next to him. "I want to talk about the twins and sending them to school."

Dean raises his eyebrow and shrugs. "That's probably a good idea. People are gonna start asking why our boys don't go to school."

"Exactly."

He leans back in his chair and yells, "Ben! Alec! Get in here!"

Alec looks from his mom to his dad with a quirked eyebrow when they tell them their plan. They couldn't be serious. School? They want to send him and Ben to school with the ordinaries. He turns towards his brother expecting to see outrage on his face but instead Ben is smiling. Honest to goodness smiling with excitement in his eyes. "Ben, you can't really want..."

"Why not Alec? There'll be kids and books and..."

"Ugh how can you be my twin?!" Alec says in disgust. He looks from his brother to his parents and throws his hands in the air. "We're enhanced killing machines with eidetic memory. We don't need to go to school with ordinaries."

"Yeah, well despite all that kiddo you two need to learn social skills and how to blend in." Dean says resisting the urge to tease Alec.

"We're trained in subterfuge."

"Uh, huh." Dean gets up from his chair tired of arguing with Alec and walks over to him. He towers over Alec and crosses his arms signaling physically that the discussion is over. "Me and your mom say you're going to school so you're going to school. If you don't like it tough but you're going cuz I said so."

_**Jackson Square **_

Jackie glances up at the clock on St. Louis Cathedral wondering where in the hell Dean is. It isn't like him to be late and if he's going to be late he always gives her a heads up. She checks her phone again to see if he texted or called but nothing. Jackie tells herself that there's nothing to worry about, that Dean most likely is running late due to trying to corral four kids. She figures it isn't worth the trouble to bother calling Dean to see if he's gonna come help her out or not. He'll show when he shows.

She leans back in her chair watching the tourists with their cameras taking pictures of the cathedral and other sites in the square when she notices a well-dressed man coming from Charters Street. His eyes sweep across the row of psychics sitting at their tables when his eyes land on her. He makes his way towards her casually adjusting his sleeves as he does so. He takes the seat across from her and smiles while laying a ten-dollar bill on the table between them. "It is ten dollars for a palm reading, right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Good, tell me, what do you see, Ms. Jacqueline."

She turns over his well-manicured hand tracing a line with a fingertip, "You're going to live a long life and you will also be successful with your current endeavor."

_**St. Louis Cemetery Number One **_

Sam loves his job as a tour guide. He loves being able to give the colorful history of the city of New Orleans to the tourists. Plus, the tips were usually good and he only works two hours a day. As much as he bitches and rants at Jackie and Dean he really does like living there. His problem isn't with the city itself but with how they make their money. With its own traditions and quirks, New Orleans, isn't like no other place he's ever lived before and he loves it. It's a unique city, feeling much more European than American, as it still shows its French and Spanish roots. The influences can still be seen throughout the city today in its food and architecture. Even the way they bury their dead is influenced by cemeteries in Paris. Sam loves throwing out that little tid bit when he takes his tour groups into St. Louis Cemetery number one.

Being a tour guide is a great job for Sam since it allows him to be a know it all and not piss people off. Jackie teases him mercilessly about how he prepares for his tour like he's preparing to give a lecture. Sam just huffs and pulls a face and tells her that he's getting paid to impart his knowledge on the city and its burial customs. He takes his job very seriously, these people are handing over their twenty dollars apiece to hear him talk and he is going to give them their money's worth. He'd never admit it to Jackie or even to Dean but his favorite part of being a tour guide is being able to answer questions. Being appreciated for his knowledge and not teased for it means more than he can put into words. So once people start asking him questions he's in his element smiling and answering the questions easily.

"Excuse me, I have a question."

Sam looks towards the back of the crowd to the man with the dark hair, "Ok. Go ahead."

"You're Sam correct? Dean's little brother."

Sam tilts his head to the side studying the well-dressed man in front of him. He obviously isn't a hunter; the suit he is wearing is designer and not a knock off. That meant he was either a high ranking cop or more likely from some government agency which either way only meant trouble. "Um, do I know you?"

"Not per say but I know you." The man smiles moving to the front of the crowd, "I wanted to see the chosen one up close and I have to say I am not impressed."

"You're Ares."

"Well, aren't you a smart one. Good looking too. I do love a tall man but then again for being the savior of my kind I was expecting a little more **BANG** for my buck."

'So, this was Ares.' Sam thinks as he looks him over. He definitely is cocky like Azazel and Meg but there is something about him that makes him seem more dangerous than the other two. Sam eyes the crowd noticing that they are eerily still, even the sound of the street noise outside the cemetery walls has disappeared. Ares has frozen them or stopped time, not like the semantics really matter, all that matters is getting these people out of here unharmed.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica..."

Ares smirks crossing his arms while he leans against the Voodoo Queen, Marie Laveau's tomb. His smugness only makes Sam that more determined to get him out of his current meat suit. Sam squares his shoulders and narrows his eyes speaking with more force than before.

"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus, omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.. Ergo, draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica, adjuramus te cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque æternæ perditionìs venenum propinare. Vade, satana, inventor et magister omnis fallaciæ, hostis humanæ salutis. Humiliare sub potenti manu Dei; contremisce et effuge, invocato a nobis sancto et terribili nomin quem inferi tremunt. Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine. Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos."

Ares snaps his fingers causing the crowd to stir once again. He walks up to Sam and smacks his shoulder in what appears to the crowd to be a friendly gesture, "Just so you know Sam, I'm way above THAT pay grade. I can't be exorcised, this body belongs to me."

Later that night Dean grudgingly goes down to the Crescent City Brew house with Sam after he pretty much whines and then turns to emotional blackmail by giving Dean his puppy dog look. Sam knows damn well Dean can't say no to that pathetic face added along with the statement, 'When was the last time just the two of us went to a bar together?' Sam knows he's won the battle the moment Dean grunts to Lexi that he'll be home by eleven.

Both Lexi and Jackie were more than fine with the boys going out for some bonding time since they were driving the both of them crazy about the Manticore and Ares situation. Lexi takes the baby monitor down stairs with her joining Jackie on the front balcony that overlooks Royal Street. Jackie carries out two wine glasses and a pitcher of fresh Sangria pouring them each a glass before placing it on the round table. Jackie takes a sip of Sangria watching the figures of the two brothers disappear down Royal Street. She turns towards Lexi her eyebrow arched, "When did that start?"

"Hmm?"

"I said when did that start? He never had a curfew before, hell Dean never used to even tell you where he was going. He was such a douche nozzle."

"About around the time we got Jake back. So, maybe a year and a half ago."

"Uh huh. And just like that Dean stopped being an ass?"

"Well, ya know, the silent treatment and not having sex with him might've helped."

Jackie stares at Lexi wide eyed for a moment and then completely loses it. She sits there cracking up, laughing so hard her sides hurt. When she finally regains her composure she takes a sip of wine and asks, "Wait, so you withheld sex so he'd tell you what time he'd be home? Wouldn't it have been easier to I dunno tell him he needs to tell you when he'd be home?"

Lexi smiles around the rim of her wine glass savoring the sangria and the incredulous look on Jackie's face. She tilts her head with an innocent expression on her face, "I didn't withhold sex to get him to tell me when he's coming home and what not. I was making a point. You know how stubborn Dean is and he has that whole 'I'm the man and what I says goes' attitude so I let him THINK he's in charge and I use the one thing I know will make him fold like a cheap suit, sex."

"Yeah I don't do that. That is way too much work. I just tell Sam what to do and he does it."

"Dean is not Sam. It's not that simple with him. You know how pig headed my husband is."

"It's not that Sammy's simple. Sammy, well he just KNOWS better."

"Dean is thickheaded and what does Dean understand? SEX. I held out once for thirty-five days and let me tell you Dean was not a happy camper but I made my point. So he swears he's not whipped and he's in charge and I let him keep that delusion becomes it makes him happy."

"Fuck that. I still say it takes too much time, Dean needs to realize you have him by the balls."

They smirk at each other draining their glasses of Sangria and asking how they ended up with these guys. For Lexi it's simple, she fell hard for Dean years ago when they were both living in Ashland, WI. For Jackie, it's a little more complicated. She met Sam through Lexi and Dean and thought it was all just fun and games while he was visiting for spring break. She thought nothing of their two week fling until Sam went all Glenn Close on her calling her his girlfriend on the phone. If you ask Jackie she'd say that Sam eventually wore her down, that there's only so many times you can look at those puppy eyes before you give in.

Both girls know, no matter how much they bitch about their husbands, that they are who they're supposed to be with. They play off each other well and just understand each other. Then again, it makes them both wonder how screwed up they must be to join themselves with men that hunt down people's worst nightmares. Lexi pours them another glass of Sangria, raises her glass and announces, "Here's to being insane enough to marry a Winchester."

"I'll drink to that but let's add and being the only two known women to survive marrying a Winchester."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

_*~Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Dark Angel or Supernatural characters. For this fic I changed the DA time line. The pulse has already hit and Ben and Alec are out of Manticore in 2009. The characters of Lexi, Jake and Jackie are from a Supernatural AU Verse 'The Ties That Bind' that I write. Even though the original characters are from an AU Verse, reading the AU Verse is not necessary. This is a sequel to Horseshoes and Hand Grenades. I hope you like it. Reviews would be great.~*_

Dean raises his eyebrow surveying the clutter of bags and chairs Lexi has placed near the door. There is no way they need to bring all this crap to a parade even if it is two hours long. When he sees the ladder with the seat on top he knows his wife has lost her damn mind. Of course Lexi would buy one of these ladder seats for Jake but there is no way Dean is dragging this through the house and down a flight of stairs. "LEX! LEX, CMERE!"

"What?"

"What the hell is this?"

Lexi looks at him somewhat confused as he gestures to the Mardi Gras ladder seat. She thinks it's pretty obvious what it is. "It's a Mardi Gras ladder seat."

"Ok and why would you buy one?"

"It's so Jake can see the parades."

"Honey, Jake doesn't need a ladder seat that's what his Uncle Sammy is for and I'm gonna be the one that has to drag it down to the car and through the street. He doesn't need it. And while we're at it, you don't need to bring all this crap. We're not going on vacation."

"We need it. The boys need to be kept entertained."

Dean rubs his face and takes a deep breath in an attempt not to lose his patience. He doesn't understand his wife's logic, why would kids need to be entertained at a parade? Isn't that what the parade is for? He walks over to Lexi placing his hands on her shoulders and looks her straight in the eye, "I love you but you're insane." She begins to protest but Dean cuts her off before she can get another word out, "We're taking the chairs and the coolers, that's it. Everything doesn't have to be a huge production ya know."

Alec is not a happy camper. When his dad told him they were going to a Mardi gras parade he was psyched but what he forgot to tell him was how far away they would have to park from the parade route. Alec huffs dropping the chairs he'3s carrying on the grass and collapses next to them. He throws his dad a dirty look for making him carry two chairs three and a half blocks. He's annoyed, how dare Dean make him do manual labor. Alec reaches into the cooler for a beer only to have his Uncle Sammy snatch it out of his hand. "HEY, that's mine."

"I don't think so Alec, you're way underage."

"Whatever, I am an enhanced killing machine ya know."

"I don't care if you're a super solider or not. You're still only ten. Your dad will tell you the same thing."

"What will I tell him, Sammy?"

"That despite Alec being an enhanced killing machine he's too young to have a beer."

Dean looks over at Alec and smirks. The kid is so much like him that it honestly scares him a little bit. Dean never thought underage drinking was a big deal; that it was just normal teenage behavior. Both him and Sam had fake ids by the time they were sixteen, hell Dean was sneaking beers by the time he was twelve. Dean raises his hands innocently and smiles at Alec, "Sorry kiddo, no beer until you're at least sixteen. I swear I'll make ya a fake id for your sixteenth birthday."

Sam rolls his eyes and sits in the last chair next to Jackie. He can't believe how irresponsible Dean can be at times, especially now that he's a father himself. It isn't really surprising to Sam, after all this is Dean who thinks there is nothing wrong with hustling innocent people in front of his young son. Still, Sam hopes that by now his older brother would at least use common sense when it comes to Ben and Alec.

Jackie nudges Sam jerking him out of his thoughts as she places a cold beer in his hands, "Back off sasquatch. We're here to have fun not argue on how to raise the little Dean clones."

"Okay."

It seems everyone is having fun except for Ben. He's sitting in his lawn chair on the other side of Dean with a sour look on his face that remarkably resembles Sam's bitch face. Dean raises his eyebrow as he pokes Ben's side, "Benny, what's the matter?"

"I don't get the point of all this."

"Of what?"

"Mardi Gras."

"It's carnival season."

"Well, it seems kinda pointless dad."

Dean stares at Ben for a beat before he responds. "Mardi Gras and carnival season are not pointless. It's fun but your Uncle Sammy will tell you all about the religious stuff that it's connected to. Like it's a French Catholic tradition that's celebrated in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. But all you need to know kiddo is that it's a fun tradition and when the Krewe stops in front of you scream, 'Throw me something, Mister.' Can you try to have some fun?"

Ben mumbles something that sounds like okay and then asks Dean if he can go check out the vendors with Alec. Alec perks up at that and announces that he wants to try everything that the food vendor has causing Dean to laugh out loud as he hands the twins some money. Sam and Jackie both look in his direction to see what's so funny but Dean ignores their looks and turns to watch Lexi and Jake return from the vendors.

Jake is running slightly ahead of his mother swinging some kind of sword glow stick as she keeps pulling him back next to her. Jake dives into his father's lap showing him his new toy and babbling nonsense. Dean ruffles his hair putting him back on the ground and reminds him to stay where they can see him. Jake nods running towards Sam and Jackie screaming 'Boobies' on top of his lungs drawing looks from the people around them. Jackie throws a dirty look at Lexi asking, "Why do you let him do that?"

Lexi looks up from the red velvet funnel cake she's devouring cocking her eyebrow, "I told him to stop but he thinks it's funny and since Dean laughs and encourages him to do it he won't stop."

"Well, make them stop it's your husband and demon spawn."

"Don't call him demon spawn. He's a good kid."

"Remember you said that Lex when he's climbing your bookshelf and acting like the Tasmanian devil."

Lexi shrugs and goes back to her food, she honestly doesn't think Jake is a bad kid. Of course, he's a bit rambunctious and mischievous but most two years olds are. Then of course Dean is always encouraging him to do things to annoy his Aunt Jackie and Uncle Sammy but he doesn't do them maliciously. He does them cause it makes his daddy laugh. There's the dropping of the ceiling on Sam but in Jake's defense Sam was all evil and black eyed at the time. In Lexi's mind that doesn't make her son a bad kid, that just made him protective like his father.

Ben and Alec join them once the parade starts. Alec flops into the chair next to Jackie while shoving food into his mouth. She doesn't say anything, just raises an eyebrow to him and turns to see where Sam is. Sam's to the left of them holding Jake up on his shoulders while the youngest Winchester boy screams at the floats, 'Throw me something mister!' Just when she's thinking how cute and innocent Jake looks up on his Uncle Sammy's shoulders reality comes crashing down on her in the form of Mardi Gras beads. Jake has dropped a handful of beads onto her head smirking down at her and looking very much like his father as he shouts, "BEADS BOOBIES." Dean, Sam, Ben and Alec crack up drawing dirty looks from both Jackie and Lexi before Dean corrects his son, "It's the other way around buddy. She needs to show you the goods first and THEN you give her the beads."

Ares moves through the crowd slowly and methodically. He has been watching the Winchesters for hours and does not want to be seen. He takes in every detail of the family while they interact with each other. The children are no concern to Ares. He can get rid of them as easily as crushing a bug under his designer shoe. Sam and Jackie could be problematic but he's more concerned with the eldest Winchester. Dean Winchester, now there's someone every demon hates. He's driven like his father and will not stop until one of you is dead. So far, Dean has killed every demon that has gone after him or his family but Ares is smarter than those fools. For one, he knows Dean's weakness. She's sitting right next to him. Ares watches as Dean leans in every now and then for a kiss or he how he squeezes her hand or knee. It's obvious by the way he looks at his wife and if Lexi Winchester was just any normal human, Ares would've went straight for her. She isn't though which means Ares has to do this with some finesse. He knows Dean's little binding spell isn't strong enough to keep her powers locked down for good, especially if she feels that Ares poses a threat to her and her family.

Ares knows he has to send a message to Dean Winchester that will make him think twice about going after him. He's going to send that message when the time is right. Right now isn't the time. Instead, Ares is up for a little cat and mouse. He heads straight towards them as they pack up their belongings purposely knocking into Jackie and Sam smiling at them before disappearing into the crowd again. Sam stares after the dark haired man, his mouth open slightly. He can't believe it, there is no way that is Ares but it is. That's Ares. Ares has been watching them. Which brings up the questions why is he watching us and for how long? Jackie nudges Sam asking him what's wrong, he only says one word, 'Ares.'

Dean stops dead in his tracks turning his head to look over his shoulder at Sam. He must have heard wrong, Sam did not just say that name. "What did you say Sammy?"

"Ares. Ares just bumped into me and Jackie."

"WHAT? WHERE DID HE GO?"

Sam points in the general direction where Ares has disappeared into the crowd. Dean drops the chairs he's holding telling Lexi to go back to the Impala with the kids and to take Jackie with her. Dean gestures to Sam and plunges into the crowd. Sam huffs but follows after him anyway calling his brother's name. This is insanity, nothing good can come from Dean chasing after a demon through the crowded streets of the Garden District. Sam finds Dean on Magazine Street looking into the shops' windows like a mad man.

"Dean?"

"I saw that sonofabitch turn down this street and he disappeared into thin air."

"C'mon man, let's head back. It's not like we can take him out in front of all these witnesses."

Both Ben and Alec bug Dean the next night about going out to dinner until he caves. They try to get Sam and Jackie to come along but Sam is in one of his moods. The twins still being new to this family unit find it funny how their Uncle Sammy has no problem excluding Dean from something but gets all bitch hurt if Dean tells him he wants to hang out with his wife and kids alone. The twins are beginning to see how messed up Sam and Dean's dynamic is. They also don't understand what Sam's problem is with Jake. He's a funny kid and easy to keep entertained. Although, he does manage to get into everything but they chalk that up to what is supposed to be normal toddler behavior. Alec's starting to think that his Uncle Sammy is just a huge jealous bitch.

The fivesome make the short walk to the Market Café because Lexi insists that she wants alligator bites. Dean raises his eyebrow when she says this. Normally, she'd make a face and say that isn't an animal that a person should eat. Dean doesn't bother to argue since he knows she'll have some bullshit reason on why she has suddenly changed her mind. He can't help but smirk as he watches her inhale her food. This isn't like her at all. Lexi is one of those chicks that eats like a bird. She is also constantly trying to get him to improve his table manners saying though she thinks it's cute how bad they are she doesn't want to subject other diners to them. Dean thinks she must be pmsing or something.

All in all they have a good time sitting out on the patio and listening to the house jazz band. It isn't until Lexi leaves to take Jake down to Aunt Sally's to buy some Pralines that things go to hell. Dean and the twins are sitting at the table having some desert while they wait for Lexi and Jake to return. Dean is no longer welcomed in Aunt Sally's since the last time he devoured each flavor of Praline samples they had out on display. Dean's argument to the woman was that they were samples and free and that they couldn't put a limit on how much one person ate. Needless to say she didn't agree with Dean's argument and banned him from ever stepping foot in her candy store again. Alec and Ben smirk around their forkfuls of bread pudding as they listen to Dean retell the story of his banning from Jake's favorite candy store. Ben's expression suddenly changes as he stares into the bar of the restaurant. Dean turns to see what or who has Ben's attention. Dean expects to see some hot girl at the bar but instead only sees a tall prissy dark haired man. He cocks his eyebrow looking at Ben, "What's wrong Benny?"

"That man in there was across the street from our school today. He was watching us."

"Are you absolutely positive that's the guy?"

"Yeah, Dad, I'm positive. You think he's Manticore?"

Dean glances at the man again as he says, "He's not Manticore Benny."

He tells the boys to stay put before getting up and making a bee line for the princess in the designer suit. He isn't thinking straight, if he was he wouldn't be marching up to some demon in a public place without backup. Dean's angry. Actually,he's more than angry, he's pissed the fuck off. First, this douche bag tried to worm his way into Lexi's life by saying he's her brother and now he's lurking outside their kids' school. Dean is done.

Doesn't matter if Ares really is Lexi's half brother. Yeah, like that fucking mattered, he's still a God damned demon, brother or no brother. It isn't like Lexi has any real emotional ties to this son of a bitch and besides that demons lie. Dean has to admit though this guy is good. He knows exactly how to get to Lexi by playing the family card.

Dean sits on the bar stool next to the man Ben has identified as being Ares studying him out of the corner of his eye. Ares in return pretends not to notice him sipping his red wine pretentiously while looking through the menu. Dean's hand curls tightly around the colt wanting so bad to just blow this guy away. He knows he can't just pull out a gun and seemingly kill a guy in cold blood with all these witnesses around. Realizing he should've waited and followed the demon out to off him in one of the many dark alleys, Dean gets up to go back to his table. Ares turns towards Dean smirking, "Now Dean you know it's not going to be that easy to get rid of me."

Dean turns slowly back towards him meeting his gaze, "You know I won't stop till one of us is dead."

"How incredibly HEROIC of you. No wonder my little sister is infatuated with you. You have that gallant air about you even if you are a brute."

"Is that the best you got? You're taunting's lame man, my bitch little brother can do better than that."

"Of course I can do better you imbecile." Ares sneers as he reaches out and touches Dean's face, "Why don't you try that on for size?"

Dean recoils instinctively at Ares' touch wiping at his cheek, "What the fuck did you do?"

"You won't have to wait long to see."

Dean pulls the colt from his jacket aiming it at Ares, Ares doesn't flinch at the sight of the gun, instead he winks at Dean before disappearing. Dean looks around the bar making sure Ares is really gone before slipping the colt back into his jacket and rejoining Ben and Alec. The boys watch Dean as he takes a long pull from the bottle of beer that he's now holding in his hand. Even though they haven't known Dean for very long, both boys feel that something is off with Dean at the moment. He doesn't look like himself at all and the one thing that stands out is the fact that Dean has begun to sweat. He's also slightly pale and looks in danger of becoming sick at the table.

Dean awakes to a pair of concerned green eyes staring back at him. He's slightly confused as to why he is lying on the ground with his head in Lexi's lap.

"Dean, are you okay?"

"'m fine." Dean mutters sitting up before gripping her arm tightly, "'m not fine…everything's spinning."

He leans back against her closing his eyes and taking deep breaths in hopes that the world will stop moving. He vaguely hears her giving directions to someone, something about water and call Sam. He lets the voices drift away his head lolling back against Lexi's chest. He feels terrible, worse than he can ever remember feeling before this. Next thing he knows someone is forcing him to his feet. He turns to see Sam on one side of him and Lexi on the other.

"Sammy…"

"What happened, Dean?"

"Dunno…I feel like shit run over."

He closes his eyes again catching snippets of the conversation that is going on around him. He doesn't comprehend the actual words but can hear the anxiety in Lexi and Sam's voices. Everything around him seems far away and fuzzy. He doesn't complain as Sam helps Lexi undress him in the bathroom, the sound of water and something hard hitting the porcelain tub fills the room. Dean feels like he's watching it all happen from the outside looking in. He yelps when they lower him into the ice bath jolting him back to reality.

"Fuck!"

"Dean stay put." Lexi states firmly placing her hand on his shoulder, "You're burning up. I have to break your fever. It'll make you feel better, I promise."

"How long do I have to…have to stay in?"

"Shhh…relax baby, not long I swear. I just need to bring down your fever and this is the quickest way for me to do that."

Dean leans his head back against the cool tile letting Lexi mop his fore head with a cold cloth. He half listens to her soothing words which make him feel like a little kid when his mom would take care of him. "I want tomato and rice soup."

"Ok, sweetie, I'll make you some in a little while."

A few moments later Dean feels himself being helped out of the tub. He hears Sam protesting about having to help because he doesn't want to have to see his brother's junk. Dean laughs when he hears Lexi ask him if it's because Sam doesn't think he'll measure up to his big brother. She wraps a towel around Dean's waist telling Sam to either help her or get the hell out of her way.

After getting Dean into bed and giving him a shot of antibiotics Lexi goes in to the living room to join Sam and Jackie. Their faces show exactly what she's feeling; concern and anger. Lexi turns to Ben and Alec running her hands through her long dark hair. "What happened?"

"I'm not really sure. Dad went up to the guy with the dark hair and it looked like he touched Dad's face." Ben says quietly.

"Yeah," Alec continues, "and then dad came back to the table and boom sick. That's when I went to get you."

Sam looks at each of them not being able to hide the fear in his voice, "I've never heard of a demon being able to make someone sick."

"Well he's not just some demon, now is he?" Jackie states simply, "The Greeks thought he was the God of war, so my guess is he's got some extra tricks up his designer sleeves."

"Sam and Jackie see what you can find on Ares and anything about demons making people sick. Boys, I need you to watch Jake for me and keep him in your bedroom. I'm gonna do whatever I can to break this fever."

Lexi keeps vigil by Dean's bed side all night monitoring his fever and vitals. Sometime during the early morning hours she falls asleep in the club chair she has dragged close to Dean's side of the bed, the ancient book she was reading was open on the floor beneath her feet. Dean rubs his eyes and looks around the bedroom confused as to why Lexi is sleeping in the chair and not in the bed with him. He sits up feeling slightly strange and a bit hung over but he can't remember anything after joining the boys back at the table after Ares touched him.

"Lexi?" Dean croaks shaking her leg gently, "Baby girl, why you sleeping in the chair?"

"Hm?"

"Why aren't you in bed?"

Lexi jumps up her eyes wide as she stares at Dean. She immediately goes into doctor mode taking his temperature and vitals. Dean insists he feels fine except for a slight headache and achy stomach. "Why are you playing doctor anyway? I'm just hung over."

"No you're not. Last night you were sick. You had a 106 degree fever by the time we got you back here."

"How is that even fucking possible?"

"One word, Ares."

"SON OF A BITCH! HE TOUCHED MY FACE AND SAID 'TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE.' I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

"Dean, calm down and you are not going near him."

"The hell I ain't! That son of a bitch tried to kill me!"

"Stop it. You can't just go after him with no plan. We've been doing research, he's much stronger than any demon we've went up against."

"So, I'm just supposed to let him walk? I don't think so Lex."

"Of course not. It means we need to find a way to get rid of him. He has to have a weakness and we need to find it before we take him on."

Dean nods hating the fact that she is right again. He knows that he'll be no good to anyone if he is six feet under. Dean lets Lexi win this round; he even goes as far as letting her make him some breakfast. He hates seeing the way her and Sam are watching him like a hawk. He reassures them that he feels fine now and whatever Ares has done to him had worn off. Dean knows it's a warning. If a love tap from Ares can make him that sick what can he really do if he meant to hurt someone? Dean really doesn't want to know the answer but he knows it isn't good.


End file.
